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Apollo 16

Spacecraft

Apollo 16 was a 1972 NASA lunar mission that landed on the Descartes Highlands, where astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spent three days exploring the surface while Ken Mattingly orbited above in the command module.

Key Facts

organization

NASA

orbital regime

Inner System

learn more

Wikipedia

crew

John Young, Ken Mattingly, Charlie Duke

launched

1972-04-16

returned

1972-04-27

launch mass

52,759 kg
Mission Timeline
Returned
Launched

April 16, 1972 at 17:54 UTC

Luna (The Moon)

Lander

Apollo 16 landed in the Descartes Highlands on April 21, 1972, where astronauts John Young and Charles Duke spent 71 hours on the lunar surface, conducting geological surveys and collecting 95.8 kg of rock samples.

Returned

April 27, 1972 at 19:45 UTC

Apollo 16 successfully splashed down in the South Pacific Ocean, returning 95.7 kg of lunar samples from the Descartes Highlands mission to Earth.

Related Spacecraft
Apollo 8
NASA

Launched in 1968

Crewed by Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Anders

The first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, launched on December 21, 1968, with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders completing 10 lunar orbits and capturing the iconic "Earthrise" photograph before returning safely to Earth.

Apollo 10
NASA

Launched in 1969

Crewed by Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan, John Young

The Apollo 10 mission, launched in May 1969, served as a full dress rehearsal for the Moon landing, with astronauts flying the Lunar Module to within 8.4 nautical miles of the lunar surface before returning safely to Earth.

Apollo 11
NASA

Launched in 1969

Crewed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins

The first crewed spacecraft to land humans on the Moon launched on July 16, 1969, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their historic mission that culminated in Armstrong and Aldrin's 21-hour lunar surface exploration while Collins orbited above.

Apollo 12
NASA

Launched in 1969

Crewed by Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Richard Gordon

The second crewed mission to land on the Moon, launched on November 14, 1969, successfully landed astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean near Surveyor 3 in Oceanus Procellarum for a 31.5-hour lunar surface stay.

Apollo 13
NASA

Launched in 1970

Crewed by Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise

A lunar mission launched in 1970 that suffered a near-catastrophic oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon, forcing the crew to abort their landing and return safely to Earth after a harrowing journey around the lunar far side.

Apollo 14
NASA

Launched in 1971

Crewed by Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Edgar Mitchell

The third crewed mission to land on the Moon launched on January 31, 1971, with astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell spending 33.5 hours on the Fra Mauro highlands and conducting extensive scientific experiments despite communication problems during their lunar descent.

Apollo 15
NASA

Launched in 1971

Crewed by David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin

Apollo 15 landed astronauts David Scott and James Irwin on the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region in July 1971, where they conducted three EVAs, deployed scientific instruments, and became the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.

Apollo 17
NASA

Launched in 1972

Crewed by Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Jack Schmitt

The final mission in the Apollo program, launched on December 7, 1972, carried astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans to the Moon, where Cernan and Schmitt conducted three EVAs totaling 22 hours in the Taurus-Littrow valley while Evans orbited above.

Other Spacecraft
Apollo 14
Mars 3
Apollo 15
Pioneer 10
Apollo 17
Pioneer 11
Mariner 10