Apollo 16 astronaut reveals hidden message behind the family portrait he left on the moon in 1972
He said he always planned to leave it on the moon
An Apollo 16 astronaut reveals the hidden meaning behind the family photo he left on the moon.
On April 20, 1972, Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke took his first steps on the lunar surface. Just age 36, he had made history and become the youngest human ever to walk on the moon.
But that's not all as he also left something deeply personal on his journey.
While exploring the lunar surface, Duke placed a photo of his wife and two sons on the ground so they would symbolically 'join' him on his mission.
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On the far left is his eldest son, Charles Duke III, who had just turned seven.
In front wearing red is his youngest son, Thomas Duke, who was five. Duke and his wife, Dorothy Meade Claiborne, stand in the background.
On the back of the portrait, he wrote: "This is the family of astronaut Charlie Duke from planet Earth who landed on the moon on April 20, 1972."
Commenting on the reason for leaving it there, he added: "I'd always planned to leave it on the moon.
"So when I dropped it, it was just to show the kids that I really did leave it on the moon."
While Duke spent much of his time training in Florida, his family was based in Houston. So, he used this keepsake as a way to get his kids excited about his mission.
"So just to get the kids excited about what dad was going to do, I said 'Would y'all like to go to the moon with me?'" Duke explained. "We can take a picture of the family and so the whole family can go to the moon."
Over 40 years later, his footprints are probably still on the lunar surface but the photo probably hasn't survived as well, Duke suspects.
"After 43 years, the temperature of the moon every month goes up to 400 degrees [Fahrenheit] in our landing area and at night it drops almost absolute zero," Duke added. "Shrink wrap doesn't turn out too well in those temperatures. It looked OK when I dropped it, but I never looked at it again and I would imagine it's all faded out by now."
Since the photo is too small for lunar satellites to spot, its current condition remains a mystery.
Still, for Duke and his family, the photo 'was very meaningful for the family,' and a pretty cool timestamp for marking an incredible milestone in his life and career.