Frequently Asked Questions
The most-asked questions about apollo 16.
What is Apollo 16 in a nutshell?
Apollo 16 was NASA's fifth crewed lunar landing, flown in April 1972, which sent a three-person crew to explore the rocky Descartes Highlands on the Moon's surface.
Who were the three astronauts on the mission?
Commander John W. Young, Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly, and Lunar Module Pilot Charles M. Duke made up the crew, with Young and Duke walking on the Moon while Mattingly stayed in lunar orbit.
Where exactly did the lander touch down?
The Lunar Module Orion set down in the Descartes Highlands, a rugged, heavily cratered terrain at roughly nine degrees south latitude, making it the most southerly landing of the Apollo program up to that point.
What is the famous 'moonpool' discovery?
During the first surface excursion the crew found a small, roughly ten-meter-wide crater with an unusually smooth, glassy floor that appeared to have been filled and resurfaced by a lava flow, and they informally dubbed it the 'moonpool.'
How long did the entire mission take from launch to splashdown?
From liftoff at Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 1972, to the Atlantic recovery on April 27, the mission spanned about eleven and a half days.
Did the crew drive a vehicle on the Moon?
Yes; Apollo 16 carried the second of three Lunar Roving Vehicles, a four-wheeled electric cart that let Young and Duke cover roughly twenty-six kilometers of terrain across their three surface excursions.
How many spacewalks (EVAs) did the crew perform?
Young and Duke completed three separate extravehicular activities on the lunar surface, each lasting around six to seven hours and involving sample collection, core-tube drilling, and deployment of scientific instruments.
What made the highlands landing scientifically different from earlier Apollo sites?
Previous landings targeted the dark, basaltic maria, whereas Descartes exposed older, anorthositic highland crust, giving geologists their first in-situ look at the Moon's lighter, more ancient terrain and a broader range of rock types.
What key experiments were left behind on the surface?
The crew deployed the Passive Seismic Experiment Package to record moonquakes and meteorite impacts, along with a laser retroreflector array and a solar-wind composition experiment, all part of the Extended Lunar Surface Experiments Package.
Where should a newcomer start if they want to learn more about Apollo 16?
NASA's official Apollo 16 mission report and the crew's oral-history interviews held by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum are accessible, well-sourced starting points that cover the flight narrative, science objectives, and post-landing sample analysis.