Dukes of Hazard on the moon
Meeting with a bunch of space enthusiasts last week motivated me to catch up on some artifact posts, this time focusing on Apollo 16 lunar surface items. Lunar Module Orion housed astronaut veteran John Young and rookie Charlie Duke. Assembled here are lunar surface and timeline books, the AOT eyepiece from the Lunar Module, prototype EVA helmet visor, and the space suit wiring harness that transmitted Duke’s vital signs to Mission Control throughout the mission, including Duke’s three lunar EVAs and Lunar Rover rides.
During the launch of Apollo 16, Duke had a heartbeat of 144. It’s a natural response to the sensation of 7.5 million pounds of thrust lifting 95 tons into orbit. And it was his first space flight. It was Young’s fourth. Young’s heart rate was 70. Young also got the lunar rover to skid and set a record for fastest driving on the Moon. Must have felt like Dukes of Hazard.
Researching my Apollo 16 artifacts, I read through the flight transcript and found some powerful passages, especially near the end as the pressure gave way to playfulness, as in these examples between Duke and Young in the Lunar Module (LM) calling out to their ride home, Ken Mattingly, orbiting in the Command Module (CM):
176 12 30 Duke (LM): Man, Ken, we got a load of rocks.
176 12 33 Mattingly(CM): Well, that’s fine. We got lots of room for them.
176 12 44 Duke (LM): Well, you ought to see the two pig pens over here. You ain’t gonna let us in!
176 12 48 Mattingly(CM): (Laughter)
176 12 55 Young (LM): It was – it was – Geez, it’s a lot of fun, Ken.
176 13 00 Duke (LM): I never had so much fun in all my life, Ken.
176 21 54 Mattingly(CM): Did they tell you that they changed our schedule a little bit?
176 21 58 Young (LM): Yeah, we get to keep the Lunar Module.
176 22 04 Mattingly (CM): Yeah, they also said we’re going home a day early.
176 22 07 Duke (LM): They didn’t tell us that.
176 48 56 Duke (LM): You are really bright, babe.
176 49 14 Mattingly(CM): You really look pretty against the lunar surface.
176 49 23 Young (LM): When I first saw that on Apollo 10, I thought I was in 2001 [A Space Odyssey].
177 08 57 Duke (LM ): Boy, you are beautiful, Ken.
177 09 00 Mattingly (CM): That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said.
177 09 02 Young (LM): What a rendezvous machine this is.
177 09 07 Duke (LM): Casper is really beautiful.
177 23 10 Young (LM): Are you there yet, Ken?
177 23 12 Mattingly(CM): (Laughter) No, no. I’ll – I’ll tell you.
177 23 15 Duke (LM): Are we there yet, daddy?
177 23 18 Mattingly(CM): (Laughter)
177 27 24 Young (LM): Okay, go to it. What is – Your attitude and my attitude docking-wise is compatible? It’s the same …
177 27 34 Mattingly (CM): They had been in the simulator, and I’m sure they will be today.
177 27 38 Young (LM): I’d be surprised. The only thing nominal so far is the rendezvous.
177 37 42 Young (LM): Ken, you look beautiful to me.
177 37 46 Mattingly (CM): Say again.
177 37 46 Young (LM): You look right on to me. My optical sight is coming right into your docking window.
177 38 05 Young (LM): Don’t hit my arm, Charlie.
177 38 07 Duke (LM): I’m sorry.
177 38 35 Young (LM): How would you like to do a EVA transfer? [procedure if docking fails]
177 38 39 Duke (LM): How would you like a kick in the behind?
177 38 42 Young (LM): Hot mike to Houston. (Laughter)
More Apollo 16 artifacts and stories: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=44124348109%40N01&sort=interestingness-desc&view_all=1&tags=apollo%2016
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