Apollo 16 Lunar Surface Flown Direct Ascent Chart

- Used by the Apollo 16 Crew after Lunar Ascent
- Bearing significant amounts of Lunar Dust
- One of only two of these charts available to the private collector

This Apollo 16 Direct Ascent Chart spent 3 days inside the Lunar Module Orion on the Lunar Surface. Used and annotated by Charlie Duke after lunar liftoff. Contains large amounts of Lunar Dust and comes with 2 Charlie Duke COAs, one showing Duke holding the chart.
Plus a letter written by Duke that explains how the chart was used.

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Launched on April 16, 1972, Apollo 16 was the tenth manned Apollo mission, the fifth mission to land on the Moon, and the first to land in a highlands area – specifically, the Descartes Highlands. Lunar Module Pilot Charlie Duke, along with his Commander John Young, spent nearly three days on the lunar surface exploring the highlands and conducting scientific experiments, before firing the ascent engine of the Lunar Module “Orion” and preparing for rendezvous with the orbiting Command Module “Casper.”

In order to complete this important stage of the mission, Young and Duke would perform a direct ascent maneuver, and Duke would be responsible for manually plotting and recording the deltas of the flight trajectories of the LM and CM – an extremely critical and precise navigational task.

This amazing and historic lot presents the extremely rare, flown Apollo 16 “Direct Ascent Chart” used by Duke in lunar orbit on April 24, 1972 to actually record and plot the flight trajectory deltas! To put its rarity into perspective, please consider the following: only six Apollo crews have ever landed and returned from the moon; of those six, only four conducted “direct ascents” (Apollo’s 14, 15, 16, and 17); and of the four Direct Ascent Charts ever plotted and recorded in lunar orbit, only two (Apollo’s 16 & 17) are in private hands and available to collectors.

Additionally, the chart in this lot is coated with lunar dust from the Descartes Highlands, and is certified as such by Duke on the chart with his hand signed flight certification, which reads: “This chart, bearing lunar dust, was carried to the moon’s surface within the lunar module ‘Orion.’ After lunar ascent, I then hand-plotted our rendezvous flight trajectory with “Casper” in lunar orbit! Charlie M. Duke, Jr. Apollo 16 Moonwalker.” Therefore, this is a one-of-a-kind lunar surface artifact from the Apollo 16 mission, bearing precious moon dust. This historic and rare piece comes complete with two Duke signed COAs attesting to its provenance, as well as with a photo of Duke holding the piece.

Additionally, this lot also comes with a personal letter directly from Duke explaining the chart’s operational significance. This chart, heavily used and annotated inflight, and coated with lunar dust, remains a rare and mission critical artifact from the Apollo program’s first expedition to the lunar highlands. Worthy of inclusion in the finest of collections, this museum quality artifact is certain to be a core holding of any serious lunar surface flown collection.

Measures 10.5 x 8 inches