Apollo
Apollo 16
Apollo 16 became NASA's fifth successful lunar landing mission and the only Apollo mission to explore the ancient lunar highlands. Despite a mission-threatening delay caused by concerns with the Command Module's main engine, the crew completed three moonwalks, deployed advanced scientific experiments, and returned more than 95 kilograms of lunar samples.
Launch
April 16, 1972
Duration
11 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes, 5 seconds
Crew
Uncrewed
Mission record
Apollo archive entry · Successful
Mission Overview
The mission
Apollo 16 became NASA's fifth successful lunar landing mission and the only Apollo mission to explore the ancient lunar highlands. Despite a mission-threatening delay caused by concerns with the Command Module's main engine, the crew completed three moonwalks, deployed advanced scientific experiments, and returned more than 95 kilograms of lunar samples.
Mission Details
Program
Apollo
Launch
April 16, 1972
Duration
11 days, 1 hour, 51 minutes, 5 seconds
Status
Successful
Mission by the Numbers
Mission Statistics
Mission Type
Extended Crewed Lunar Exploration
Launch Vehicle
Saturn V AS-511
Crew
0 astronauts
Status
Successful
Mission Goals
Mission objectives
- 01
Conduct the fifth crewed lunar landing.
- 02
Explore the Descartes Highlands.
- 03
Investigate the Moon's ancient highland crust.
- 04
Complete three lunar EVAs.
- 05
Operate the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
- 06
Deploy the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP).
- 07
Collect representative highland rock samples.
- 08
Investigate North Ray and South Ray craters.
- 09
Conduct orbital mapping using the Scientific Instrument Module.
- 10
Deploy a subsatellite into lunar orbit.
- 11
Perform a deep-space EVA during the return journey.
- 12
Evaluate long-duration scientific exploration techniques.
- 13
Return extensive lunar samples to Earth.
- 14
Improve understanding of lunar crust formation.
- 15
Expand knowledge of the Moon's geological evolution.
Mission Timeline
April 16, 1972 · 12:54 p.m. EST
Launch
Apollo 16 launched aboard Saturn V AS-511 from Kennedy Space Center, beginning NASA's fifth lunar landing mission.
Earth Orbit
Parking Orbit
Following a successful ascent, Apollo 16 entered temporary Earth orbit before Mission Control approved the journey to the Moon.
Trans-Lunar Injection
Departure for the Moon
The S-IVB third stage accelerated Apollo 16 toward the Moon, beginning a three-day translunar coast.
Deep Space
Cruise Phase
The crew completed navigation updates, spacecraft inspections, scientific observations, and television broadcasts while traveling toward lunar orbit.
April 19, 1972
Lunar Orbit Insertion
Apollo 16 entered lunar orbit, allowing Thomas Mattingly to begin orbital science observations while preparations for the landing continued.
April 20, 1972
Orion Separates
John Young and Charlie Duke entered the Lunar Module Orion and undocked from Thomas Mattingly aboard the Command Module Casper.
Pre-Landing Hold
SPS Engine Investigation
Mission Control detected unusual oscillations in the Service Propulsion System backup steering circuitry aboard Casper. Because the SPS engine was critical for returning the crew home, NASA delayed the lunar landing while engineers evaluated the anomaly.
Landing Approved
Mission Resumes
After nearly six hours of engineering analysis, Mission Control concluded the backup steering system could be safely disabled, clearing Apollo 16 to continue its descent toward the lunar surface.
April 21, 1972
Landing at Descartes Highlands
Orion landed successfully in the Descartes Highlands, becoming the first mission to explore the Moon's ancient highland terrain.
Surface Operations
Preparing for EVA-1
John Young and Charlie Duke configured Orion for surface operations, activated their life-support systems, and prepared for the first exploration of the lunar highlands.
EVA-1
Deploying the Lunar Rover
The crew deployed the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), allowing them to travel much farther from Orion than earlier Apollo crews could have reached on foot.
First Moonwalk
ALSEP Deployment
Young and Duke installed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP), placing scientific instruments that would continue transmitting data to Earth for years.
Descartes Highlands
First Geological Traverse
The astronauts began collecting samples from the rugged Descartes Highlands, documenting terrain believed at the time to have originated from ancient volcanic activity.
Second EVA
Stone Mountain Expedition
Using the Lunar Rover, the crew climbed the slopes of Stone Mountain, investigating large boulders and layered geological formations exposed by ancient impacts.
South Ray Crater
Impact Ejecta Studies
The astronauts sampled material thrown from South Ray Crater, helping scientists better understand the effects of large impact events on the lunar surface.
Third EVA
North Ray Crater Exploration
Young and Duke traveled to North Ray Crater, collecting some of the oldest rocks returned during the Apollo Program from material excavated deep beneath the lunar surface.
House Rock
Sampling Ancient Highlands
At House Rock near North Ray Crater, the astronauts recovered large highland samples that became some of the mission's most scientifically valuable specimens.
Lunar Grand Prix
Rover Demonstration
Near the end of the final EVA, John Young briefly demonstrated the Lunar Rover's performance across the dusty surface in what became jokingly known as the 'Lunar Grand Prix.'
Flag Salute
Final Surface Moments
Before departing, Young and Duke photographed the American flag, the Lunar Module Orion, and the surrounding Descartes Highlands, concluding humanity's fifth lunar landing mission.
April 24, 1972
Lunar Liftoff
Orion successfully lifted off from the Moon and rendezvoused with Thomas Mattingly aboard Casper in lunar orbit.
Lunar Orbit
Docking Complete
The crew transferred themselves, scientific equipment, and over 95 kilograms of lunar samples into Casper before jettisoning Orion's ascent stage.
Trans-Earth Injection
Journey Home
Apollo 16 departed lunar orbit after deploying a scientific subsatellite to continue collecting data from the Moon.
Deep Space EVA
Film Retrieval
Thomas Mattingly performed a deep-space spacewalk to retrieve film canisters from the Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay, becoming only the second astronaut to conduct an EVA far from Earth.
April 27, 1972
Splashdown
Apollo 16 safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, completing one of the Apollo Program's most productive geological expeditions.
Mission Complete
Highlands Mystery Solved
Apollo 16 revealed that much of the Descartes Highlands had been shaped by enormous impact events rather than ancient volcanism, fundamentally changing scientists' understanding of lunar geology.
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