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Charles Moss Duke Jr., born October 3, 1935, is a retired American astronaut, United States Air Force officer, and test pilot. Serving as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest individual to walk on the Moon at 36 years and 201 days old.
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1957, Duke joined the USAF. He completed advanced flight training on the F-86 Sabre at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, graduating with distinction. Following training, he spent three years as a fighter pilot with the 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany. After earning his Aerospace Research Pilot School diploma in September 1965, he remained as an instructor, teaching control systems and piloting the F-101 Voodoo, F-104 Starfighter, and T-33 Shooting Star.
In April 1966, Duke was selected as one of nineteen astronauts in NASA's fifth group. He served on the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10 in 1969 and was CAPCOM during Apollo 11, the first crewed Moon landing. His distinctive Southern accent became well-known as Mission Control's voice during the tense lunar landing, nearly exhausting the Lunar Module Eagle's descent propellant. His initial words to the Apollo 11 crew on the Moon were, "Roger, Twank...Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot!"
Duke was the backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 13. Shortly before the mission, he contracted rubella from a friend's child, inadvertently exposing the prime crew. Since Ken Mattingly lacked immunity, he was replaced by Jack Swigert as command module pilot. Mattingly was later assigned as command module pilot for Duke's Apollo 16 mission. On Apollo 16, Duke and John Young landed in the Descartes Highlands, conducting three extravehicular activities (EVAs). He also served as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 17. Duke retired from NASA on January 1, 1976.
After leaving NASA, Duke joined the Air Force Reserve, serving as mobilization augmenter to commanders of the USAF Basic Military Training Center and the USAF Recruiting Service. He graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1978, was promoted to brigadier general in 1979, and retired in June 1986. Over his career, he logged 4,147 flight hours, including 3,632 in jets and 265 hours in space, with 21 hours and 38 minutes spent on EVA.
