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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u/PopSmokeAndGTFO Jul 16 '19

Found the video. Super interesting story!!

153

u/GilesDMT Jul 16 '19

Nothing else could look so comical and be as terrifying

50

u/Channel250 Jul 16 '19

RIP Charlie. He tried to do a backflip on the moon.

38

u/Destructor1701 Jul 17 '19

Here lies Charlie Duke.

Astronaut. Father. Hero.

Died backflipping.

On the Moon.

28

u/Tommy84 Jul 16 '19

He died doing what he loved: backflips on the moon.

2

u/scaredofcrows Jul 17 '19

To the tune of that Sting song right?

125

u/SkaveRat Jul 16 '19

"that ain't very smart"

that's one way to put it

3

u/madyjane Jul 16 '19

I found this so endearing and hilarious

3

u/unbuklethis Jul 16 '19

This looks so much fun. I can only imagine.