Newspaper Page Text
— Griffin Daily News Thursday, April 13,1972
Page 18
One spaceman, two rookies
will be aboard Apollo 16
By EDMUND GLEN JOHNSON
UPI Space Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston
(UPI)—A three-time space
veteran and two rookies this
month will take a space ship to
the unexplored lunar highlands
on the next-to-last Apollo
mission in the $25 billion U.S.
manned moonlanding program.
Astronauts John W. Young,
Thomas K. Mattingly II and
Charles M. Duke Jr. are
Southerners with military back
grounds and reputations vary
ing from fun-loving wit to
Spartan loner.
They developed early appe
tites for aviation, knowledge,
exploration and adventure, but
of the three, only Young has
flown in space.
He and the late Virgil I.
“Gus" Grissom opened the
manned Gemini age in 1965
with three orbits of the Earth
in Gemini 3. The Apollo 16
commander revealed his sense
of humor to the world by taking
along an unauthorized corned
beef sandwich, Grissom’s favor
ite.
Duke LM Pilot
“I think he’s the Will Rogers
of the astronauts. You’ve got to
get up pretty early to stay
ahead of him,” said Duke, the
lunar module pilot who will
land with Young on April 20 in
the moonlander Orion for three
days’ exploration of the rugged
Descartes highlands and the
adjoining Cayley plains.
The 41-year-old Navy captain,
born in San Francisco and
reared in Orlando, Fla., just 40
miles from Cape Kennedy,
commanded the 1966 Gemini 10
mission with Michael Collins.
Young was command module
pilot on Apollo 10 in 1969 while
Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene
A. Cernan flew to within 9%
miles of the moon’s surface in
the lunar module without
landing.
On Apollo 16, Mattingly will
remain alone in the command
capsule he named Casper after
the friendly cartoon ghost.
“I've always thought about
what it would be like to stand
on the moon and look up and
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Apollo 16's target, the Descartes crater area, is in highlands which constitute 70 per
cent of the moon's surface. It has features resembling volcanic activity on earth and
may include evidences of the original lunar surface, the primitive crust built up when
the moon formed.
S' 1 ■ Launch 2. Spacecraft 3. Third stage refired, 4. Space- A
A from Cape and Saturn 5 lifting spacecraft out of craft enters
Kennedy. third stage earth orbit into lunar lunar orbit. I
enter trajectory.
p° rkin9 orbit ——<
6. Young and Duke 7. In 73 hours on the surface, 8. Jettisoning rfnwn
enter Landing touch down in the astronauts use Lunar Rover ascent craft, - ...
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see the Ear th...even before I
knew it was possible,” the 36-
year-old Navy lieutenant com
mander said during an inter
view at the Manned Spacecraft
Center.
The mission was a second
chance for Mattingly, bumped
from the aborted Apollo 13
mission in 1970 just 72 hours
before launch because he
accidentally was exposed to the
German measles by Duke, a
member of the backup crew.
Mattingly was born in Chica
go, but grew up in Hialeah,
Fla., where his father, an
airline employe, helped the 9-
year-old boy convert the family
garage into a backyard work
diop and hobby shop where he
built model airplanes that set a
world speed record.
One of the first books in his
boyhood library was “The
Earth’s Nearest Neighbor: The
Moon.”
Mattingly has the reputation
of being one of the most
studious astronauts. He exclud
ed almost all outside interests
to study for a moon mission
and remained a bachelor until a
few months after he missed the
Apollo 13 flight when he
married the former Elizabeth
Dailey of Hollywood, Calif.
Young and Mattingly pre
pared for their Navy flying
careers and astronaut duties
with aeronautical engineerng
degrees from Georgia Technolo
gical Institute and Auburn
University, but Duke went from
the Naval Academy to the Air
Force to become a test pilot
instructor because he disliked
sea duty. He later took an
advanced engineering degree
from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
The easy-going lieutenant
colonel talked with friends who
had become astronauts before
answering a newspaper adver
tisement in 1965 to join the
program. He had to wait longer
than expected for a flight into
space.
“It wasn’t just throwing your
scarf around your neck and
putting on your pressure suit
and hopping on board. It was
hard work,” said Duke, who
was bom in Charlotte, N.C.,
and reared in Lancaster, S.C.
Duke, 36, married the former
Dorothy “Dotty" Clairbome of
Atlanta and they have two sons,
Charles, 7, who was apprehen
sive about the flight, and Tom,
4. There also is a family dog
named “Booster” after the
Apollo launch rockets.
Young and Duke were backup
crewmen on Apollo 13 when
they decided to make a last
ditch effort to win seats on the
dwindling moon missions. They
volunteered for monthly geolo
gy trips and attended extra
science lectures before they
were assigned to a crew. They
will use the skills when they
become the ninth and 10th men
to walk on the moon.
“I really wasn’t interested in
Charlie getting a job like this,”
said Duke’s wife at their El
Lago home near MSC. “I
thought he would simply settle
down in his father’s insurance
business in South Carolina.
But she backed her husband’s
decision to join the Space Corps
and his determination to stay
with the program after Apollo.
She has designed a decorative
pin and gave him a finger ring
to take to the moon.
Young and Mattingly planned
to stay on, too, to work on the
proposed shuttle rocket-plane.
The April 16 launch will be
the first Young’s children,
Randy, 14, and John, 13, have
seen. They live with their
mother and Young was di
vorced last year and married
the former Susy Feldman of St.
Louis. They live in an
apartment in Nassau Bay
across from MSC.
Mattingly’s wife, who is
expecting their first child soon,
will remain at their Nassau
Bay home, but his parents will
watch the blastoff at the Cape.
Duke said his wife, children
her parents, his parents, twin
brother Bill and sister Betsy
would be among the spectators.
“We’ll have the whole family
down,” said Duke. “I’ve got so
many cousins, I can’t believe it,
and everybody wants to come.”
Apollo 16 timetable
Blast off to splashdown
CAPE KENNEDY (UPI)-
Apollo 16 astronauts John W.
Young, Thomas K. Mattingly
and Charles M. Duke are
scheduled for launch to the
moon at 12:54 p.m. EST
Sunday, April 16.
Here are the key events of
the 12-day, 2 1-2 hour mission.
AU times are EST, and
subject to change:
Sunday, April 16
12:54 p.m.—Launch from
Cape Kennedy with Apollo 16
reaching a 104-mile high earth
orbit 12 minutes later.
3:28 p.m.—Saturn top stage
refires and drives Apollo 16
toward the moon.
3:58 p.m. —Command ship
separates from the Saturn
stage, turns around and docks
with the lunar module at 4:08
p.m. Nineteen-minute telecast
of the operation starts at 4:03
p.m.
4:53 p.m.—Command ship
lunar module combination sepa
rates from the Saturn top
stage.
•or
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TOUCHDOWN POINT for Apollo 16 is in a highland region of possibly volcanic
origin, just south of the lunar equator, called Descartes. Star-like white area below
landing target, nicknamed South Ray Crater, is about one kilometer in diameter.
White area above and to the left is North Ray Crater.
& _ _
"
BLEAK MOONSCAPE of the Apollo 16 landing area in artist’s conception shows
North Ray Crater and Smokey Mountain to the north (left foreground) and South
Ray Crater and Stoney Mountain to the south (right foreground) of the touchdown
point.
Monday, April 17
12:33a.m.—Midcourse correc
tion maneuver, if necessary,
3:54 a.m.—Astronauts begin
eight-hour sleep period.
11:54 a.m.—Rest period ends.
7:25 p.m.—Second midcourse
correction, if necessary.
9:59 p.m.—Duke enters lunar
module, followed by Young five
minutes later to inspect the
lander and check its systems.
10:54 p.m. —Young and Duke
return to the command ship.
Tuesday, April 18
2:24 am.—Astronauts begin
eight-hour rest period.
10:24 a.m.—Rest period ends.
5:23 p.m.—Third midcourse
correction, if necessary.
6:44 p.m.—Young and Duke
enter lunar module for more
tests.
8:14 p.m.—Young and Duke
return to the command module.
10:54 p.m.—Astronauts begin
eight-hour rest period.
Wednesday, April 19
6:54 a.m.—Astronauts end
rest period.
10:23a.m.—Fourth midcourse
correction, if necessary.
10:53 a.m—Astronauts jetti
son door covering command
diip orbital sensors.
3:23 p.m.—A 6-minute, 15-
second braking blast from the
command ship’s main engine
(daces Apollo 16 in an orbit 196-
to-67 miles above the moon.
3:24 p.m. —Spent Saturn top
stage hits the moon.
7:30 p.m.—Apollo 16 fires
main engine for 24 seconds to
lower its orbit to 67-by-12 miles
high.
11:24 p.m.—Astronauts begin
nine-hour rest period.
Thursday, April 20
8:24 a.m.—Rest period ends.
10:42 am.—Duke enters lunar
module, followed by Young to
prepare for the lunar landing.
1:08 p.m.—Command ship
and lunar module separate with
Mattingly remaining in the
command module.
2:36 p.m—Command ship
raises its orbit to 79 to 60 miles
high with a six-second main
engine firing.
3:29 p.m.—Lunar module
begins its final descent.
3:41 p.m. —Young and Duke
land on the moon.
7:19 p.m.—Young and Duke
depressurize their landing craft
for the first lunar surface
excursion. The surface televi
sion camera is turned on at the
same time. Young steps on the
moon 10 minutes later followed
by Duke in another 10 minutes.
Friday, April 21
2:24 a.m. —Mattingly begins
8.5-hour rest period in lunar
orbit.
6:04 a.m. —Young and Duke
begin 8-hour rest period on the
moon.
10:54 a.m. —Mattingly ends
rest period.
2:04 p.m. —Young and Duke
end rest period.
5:44 p.m. —Lunar module
cabin is depressurized for
second surface excursion.
Young steps on the moon 10
minutes later followed by Duke
in another 10 minutes. Moon
telecast begins at 6:04 p.m.
Saturday, April 22
12:29 a.m. —Duke returns to
lunar module, followed 10
minutes later by Young. Moon
telecast ends at 12:39 a. m.
Cabin is repressurized at 12:44
a.m.
1:54 a.m. —Mattingly begins
8.5-hour rest period in lunar
orbit.
5:39 a.m. —Young and Duke
begin 8-hour rest period on the
moon.
10:32 a.m. —Mattingly ends
rest period.
1:39 p.m. —Young and Duke
end rest period.
5:19 p.m. —Lunar module
cabin is depressurized for third
surface excursion. Young steps
on moon 10 minutes later
followed by Duke in nine more
minutes. Moon telecast begins
at 5:39 p.m.
9:23 p.m. —Command ship
fires main engine 9 seconds to
shift its lunar orbital path. Its
new orbit is 66-to-71 miles high.
Sunday, April 23
12:09 a.m. —Duke returns to
lunar module, followed by
Young 5 minutes later. Cabin is
repressurized at 12:19 a.m.
12:54 a.m. —Mattingly begins
8-hour rest period in lunar
orbit.
1:33 a.m. —Lunar module
hatch is opened and excess
equipment is discarded. Surface
television ends at 1:44 a.m.
4:09 a.m. —Young and Duke
begin frhour rest period on
moon.
8:54 a.m. —Mattingly ends
rest period.
12:09 p.m. —Young and Duke
end rest period.
3:12 p.m. —Lunar module
hatch is opened and excess
equipment jettisoned.
4:24 p.m. —Lunar surface
television camera turned on.
4:39 p.m. —Lunar module
takes off from the moon,
reaches orbit 7 minutes later
ranging from 10-to-52 miles
high.
5:33 p.m. —Lunar module
begins rendezvous maneuvers,
raising orbit to 51-by-71 miles
high.
6:14 p.m. —Command module
television camera turned on for
six minutes to show rendezvous
operations.
6:44 p.m. —Lunar module
docks with command module;
telecast of the operation begins
at 6:39 p.m.
9:49 p.m. —Young and Duke
return to command ship, close
lunar module hatch.
10:25 p.m. —Command ship
jettisons lunar module, moves
away five minutes later.
Monday, April 24
12:10 a.m. —Lunar module
engine fired remotely to send it
on collision course with moon,
impacting at 12:33 a.m.
2:24 a.m. —Astronauts begin
Bhour rest period.
10:24 a.m. —Astronauts end
rest period.
2:08 p.m. —Command ship
drifts orbital path, moves into
orbit ranging from 67-to-72
John W. Young
I
Charles M. Duke Jr.
n
Thomas K. Mattingly II
miles high.
Tuesday, April 25
12:44 a.m. —Astronauts beg®
7.8-hour rest period.
8:34 a.m. —Rest period end®
1:43 p.m. —Command shH
raises orbit to 64-to-98 mill®
above moon. S
2:56 p.m. —Command shi®
launches unmanned scientifi®
satellite.
7:15 p.m. —Command shH
fires main engine for 3 minute®
30 seconds to blast out of lun<®
orbit and begin flight back i®
Earth.
Wednesday, April 26 ■
12:24 a.m. —Astronauts beg®
8.5-hour rest period.
8:54 a.m. —Astronauts enl
rest period.
12:15 p.m. —Midcourse col
rection, if required.
2:49 p.m. —Mattingly oper®
command ship hatch for spac®
walk to retrieve film froi®
mapping cameras; teleca®
begins.
3:59 p.m. —Mattingly return®
to command ship cabin
telecast ends. Cabin is repres
surized at 4:09 p.m.
Thursday, April 27
1:24 a.m. —Astronauts begi
8-hour rest period.
9:24 a.m. —Astronauts en
rest period.
5:17 p.m. —Midcourse corret
tion, if required.
Friday, April 28
12:54 a.m. —Astronauts begii
8-hour rest period.
8:54 a.m. —Astronauts en<
rest period.
12:17 p.m. —Midcourse cor
rection, if required.
3:01 p.m. —Command module
separates from its service
module in preparation for re
entry into Earth’s atmosphere
3:17 p.m. —Re-entry begins.,
3:30 p9o9—Apollo 16 lands in
the Pacific Ocean 1,150 miles
south of Honolulu.