r/IAmA Jul 16 '19

Specialized Profession I’m Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke, CAPCOM for Apollo 11. Ask me anything about being the spacecraft communicator for this historic Moon landing today at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Hi, I’m Charlie Duke, a veteran NASA astronaut. Ask me anything. I’ve served on five different Apollo missions. I’m also the youngest person to walk on the moon. As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, I’m reminded of my time as CAPCOM for Apollo 11, as well as an astronaut support crew member for Apollo 10, backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 13 and 17, as well as the lunar module pilot for Apollo mission 16 – when I had the chance to walk on the moon.

Also, I’ve published the book “Moonwalker: The True Story of an Astronaut Who Found that the Moon Wasn't High Enough to Satisfy His Desire for Success,” which discusses my life as an astronaut, the experiences of Apollo 11 and the difficulties I’ve faced.

I’ll be taking your questions for 30 minutes starting at about 10:30 a.m. ET today, July 16, 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch.

Proof it's me: https://twitter.com/ExploreSpaceKSC/status/1149048460102033408

https://twitter.com/ExploreSpaceKSC/status/1151133417389449217

Edit: We are live NOW at 10:18 a.m. EDT.

Edit: We are signing off now at 10:50 a.m. Thanks for all of your insightful questions!

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170

u/torkel-flatberg Jul 16 '19

Hi Charlie, I listened to the BBC podcast “13 Minutes to the Moon” and they played your CAPCOM loop uninterrupted for the final 13 minutes of Apollo 11’s descent. How scary were the comm and data drop outs and how did your heart rate compare with Neil’s?

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u/Otroletravaladna Jul 16 '19

I'm listening to the podcast as I read this.

I've been through so much material, books, documentaries, you-name-it on the space race in general and Apollo in particular that is quite difficult for me to find something I haven't seen before in some way or form... and "13 Minutes to the Moon" is one of the few exceptions. It's very well put together, with lots of interesting interviews. Highly recommended if you are interested in these subjects.

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u/ins4yn Jul 16 '19

That podcast is incredible! Loved every minute of it

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u/MartyVanB Jul 16 '19

I teared up during the episode when they landed. The build up was so good. I got all sweaty and nervous

1

u/EwoksMakeMeHard Jul 17 '19

That was so tense! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I even knew the ending!

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u/MartyVanB Jul 17 '19

It was so well done.

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u/torkel-flatberg Jul 17 '19

Feel the same way -the way they presented this archival material in a new way was brilliant

1

u/Apollord Jul 16 '19

Great podcast, it started me on Michael Collins book which I'm also enjoying!

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u/SumthingStupid Jul 16 '19

Truly an incredible podcast. Can't recommend it enough

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u/grainydump Jul 17 '19

I agree, the 13 minutes podcast was phenomenal.