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Liftoff of Apollo 16
Apollo 16 (April 16–27, 1972) was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program , administered by NASA , and the fifth and next-to-last to land on the Moon . The mission was crewed by John Young , Commander ; Charles Duke , Lunar Module Pilot ; and Ken Mattingly , Command Module Pilot . Launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 16, 1972 (pictured), Apollo 16 experienced a number of minor glitches en route to the Moon. These culminated with a problem with the spaceship's main engine that resulted in a six-hour delay in the Moon landing. Young and Duke explored the Descartes Highlands , a site thought volcanic, although this proved to be not so. Mattingly orbited the Moon in the command and service module , taking photos and operating scientific instruments. During the return trip to Earth, Mattingly performed a one-hour spacewalk to retrieve several film cassettes from the exterior of the service module. Apollo 16 returned safely to Earth on April 27, 1972. ( Full article... )
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