'Overwhelming beauty'

ASTRONAUT CHARLIE DUKE, the 10th man to walk on the moon, is 80 now but retains vivid memories of his fantastic journey aboard Apollo 16 in 1972, as shared on a recent visit to Thailand for the exhibition “Nasa – A Human Adventure”. He kindly took |time to give The Nation an |exclusive interview. 

 

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE AN |ASTRONAUT?

No, there was no space programme when I was a kid! I was just graduating from college when it began, the Space Age, starting with Sputnik. Four years later I met some astronauts when I was at MIT and they motivated me to try to attain the best job you could have as a pilot – and that is to be an astronaut. 

 

WAS SEEING NEIL ARMSTRONG LAND |ON THE MOON A BIG INSPIRATION?

Yes, and I was involved in that. I was actually speaking to Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon! It was a great honour for me to be involved in that mission – and we did it on the first attempt. It was a great inspiration. 

President Kennedy committed the United States to landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. He said that in May of 1961, and eight years and two months later, we did it.

 

HOW DOES ACTUALLY IT FEEL BEING ON THE MOON?

Exciting. Wonder. Adventure. Unbelievable at times – “Am I really here?” And also, overwhelming beauty. The moon is really beautiful. It was unspoiled, untouched, grey in colour with shades of white and some black. The contrast between the lunar surface and blackness of space is awesome.

 

DID YOU EVER THINK SOMETHING MIGHT GO WRONG OR YOU MIGHT EVEN DIE?

Never. We did wonder when problems arose whether we’d be able to complete the mission. 

The only time I’ve ever had a moment of fear, when I thought I was really in trouble for my life, was when I jumped and fell over backwards right at the end of our stay on the moon. It was a stupid thing to do, but I wanted to know how high I could jump, and I lost my balance and fell over backwards, and that was scary! If the suit split open or the backpack broke, you were dead. 

But I responded with training rather than panic, so I’m still here.

 

WAS THAT YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF THE MISSION?

No, it was the view I had on the second day. We drove our car up the side of this mountain, about 100 metres above the valley floor. We turned around, and there’s this spectacular view for about 15 kilometres across this valley, with rolling terrain and mountains in the far horizon and this contrast of the blackness of space. And out in the middle of the valley is this little lunar module, the only evidence of life.

 

YOU LEFT A FAMILY PHOTO ON THE MOON. HAS IT EVER CROSSED YOUR MINDS THAT ALIENS MIGHT HAVE FOUND IT?

I don’t believe in aliens, but that’s a personal opinion. We don’t know if there’s life out there. If there is, we haven’t made contact. 

I personally don’t think there is. My photograph is still on the moon. I can tell you, from photos taken by a lunar orbiter just a few years ago, that my car is still there, the descent stage is still there, the experiments that we left and our footprints are still there. 

 

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE CONSPIRACY |THEORISTS WHO INSIST THAT APOLLO |NEVER ACTUALLY WENT TO THE MOON?

Even without the photos from the lunar orbiter, I could easily prove that we did go to the moon. I tell the sceptics, “If we faked it, why did we fake it nine times?” If you want to fake something, you do it once and then shut up. 

The evidence is clear. The 600 pounds of moon rocks we brought back are totally different from terrestrial rocks. The science is there, the lunar reflector is there, you can see our spacecraft still there, so the evidence is overwhelming.

 

SO WHY HAS THE US NEVER RETURNED |TO THE MOON?

The last three missions were cancelled, which I think was a |mistake. The only human end|eavour we have now is the International Space Station. 

Unfortunately the US has become risk-averse and we |haven’t had a spacecraft to take |us anywhere. We have to depend on the Russians. Hopefully that will change in the next decade and |we’ll be back in business. 

 

HOW DO YOU REGARD THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN WOMEN WORKING IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY, EVEN BECOMING ASTRONAUTS?

I think it’s great. I’m just glad I didn’t have to compete against women when I was there, because it doubles the competition. All the women have done a tremendous job, commanding the space station and the shuttle, so I think they have earned a place in space. 

 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SPACE MOVIE?

Probably “Apollo 13”, because I was eminently involved in that flight. I was on the backup crew and, after the accident, I spent 35 straight hours at Mission Control helping develop the procedures and got them back safely. I saw the movie and they did a good job. |It encouraged me. 

The “Star Wars” series is |probably the next one I enjoy|the most.