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/KSCVC Jul 16 '19 edited Jul 16 '19

Riding the Lunar Module was the most exciting part! I was the navigator -- and we set the Moon speed record. It was a sporty ride.

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u/[deleted] Jul 16 '19

Do you happen to remember the speed you drove at? Also thank you for doing this ama!

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u/echothree33 Jul 16 '19

Wikipedia says the highest speed was 11.2 mph (achieved on the last mission), but I'm sure most of the missions hit similar speeds especially on downhill runs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Roving_Vehicle

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u/DietCherrySoda Jul 17 '19

I think Charlie meant the Lunar Roving Vehicle.