In this podcast extra episode we present our full length interview with test pilot, astronaut and lunar module pilot on Apollo 16, General Charlie Duke.
Drawing on this unique set of experiences, we asked Charlie:
- What surprised you or what weren't you expecting to see on the moon?
- How did having a rover change the way you could explore the moon?
- How much fun was the lunar rover?
- Which was most exciting, being capcom on the 1st moon landing or walking on the moon on Apollo 16?
- Is the proposed 2032 launch window for a human Mars mission achievable?
- Did you see any colour other than grey on the moon?
- Are there any features on Earth you can see from the moon?
- Were you able to see any star fields during the Apollo 16 mission?
Then we turned the interview over to listeners' questions: - @BrewsterNorth asked, what do you think of the commercial plans for lunar exploration?
- Gavin Price (@pillarscreatio) asked, how important is the moon as a staging post for Mars?
- David Blanchflower (@Davidbflower) asked, would you return to the moon now?
- @Openmind asked, did your attitude towards humanity and our planet change for having gone to the moon?
- And the now regular Cornwell Question (from @samcornwell): What's the most expensive thing you've ever broken?
