Earthrise

Charlie Duke is one of only 4 men alive to have walked on the moon. As a member of Apollo 16 mission in 1972, he spent three days on the lunar surface, where he weighed just 60lbs in his spacesuit. All 12 men who walked on the moon were changed by their experience. Duke, now 83, describes his unique story in this way: “Just viewing the Earth from the moon was a moving experience. You can hold up your hand, and underneath your hand is the Earth. From the Moon’s distance, you can see the polar regions all white, clouds in the middle; 70% of the Earth is water, the oceans, so you see the crystal blue.....It’s a dramatic view that changes your perspective. But for me it wasn’t spiritual; it wasn’t philosophical. You didn’t have time on the Moon to be saying, “How did we get here? What is our purpose? Nothing like that. My focus was operational – Let’s get the job done!” This is probably one of the most reproduced photos ever taken on earth....well, actually it was taken from the moon! Earth rising over the lunar horizon.