John Young Leaps into History

“You feel this way when you're finally on the Moon!” says artist and Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean. “It’s the culmination of all you’ve studied and worked for since you were a little kid. “John has jumped straight up about 3 feet or so. On Earth, this would have been impossible because John weighs 160 pounds and the suit and the backpack weigh 150 pounds, but on the Moon everything (including John) weighed only one-sixth as much. Someday there will be athletic contests on the Moon, maybe even Solar System Olympics and many astonishing records will be set.” Apollo 16, April 16-27, 1972, was Young’s fourth space flight but his first lunar exploration. Young was Spacecraft Commander accompanied by Astronauts Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke. Young and Duke set up scientific equipment and explored the lunar highlands at Descartes in the Lunar Rover.