by Mike Matzinger
Charles Moss Duke Jr. was born on October 3, 1935, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1946 and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1975. Duke graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1957 and later received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. He served as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force and later became a test pilot. In April 1966, Duke was selected as part of NASA’s fifth group of astronauts.
Duke served as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 16, the fifth manned mission to the Moon, launched on April 16, 1972. During the mission, he became the tenth person and the youngest person to walk on the Moon. He and Commander John W. Young conducted three extravehicular activities, spending over 20 hours on the lunar surface, and collected 209 pounds of lunar samples. Duke also left a family photograph on the Moon, inscribed with the message: “This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972.”
After retiring from NASA in 1975, Duke continued his service in the Air Force Reserve, achieving the rank of brigadier general before retiring in 1986. He has logged over 4,100 hours of flying time, including 265 hours in space. Throughout his career, Duke has been an advocate for youth development and STEM education, often attributing his early experiences in Scouting as foundational to his later achievements.
Duke is married to Dorothy Meade Claiborne, and they have two children. He resides in New Braunfels, Texas, where he remains active in public speaking and educational outreach.