Apollo 50: Journey to the Moon

You may not be familiar with astronaut Charles Duke, but you’ve almost certainly heard his voice.

In the tense final moments of the July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 moon landing, Commander Neil Armstrong guided the lunar module Eagle over the cratered surface in search of a suitable landing area. Specialists in NASA’s Mission Control in Houston, along with the rest of the world, waited anxiously for confirmation of touchdown.

With seconds of fuel remaining, Armstrong brought the craft to a soft landing and made his historic report: “Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Duke, who grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina, was the Apollo 11’s “capsule communicator,” or CAPCOM. In a distinctly Southern accent, he responded with some famous words of his own.

“We copy you down, Eagle,” Duke said. “You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.”

The 50th anniversary of that historic landing is the theme of the South Carolina State Museum’s exhibition, “Apollo 50: Journey to the Moon.” Sponsored by Boeing, the exhibition interprets the 1960s, both from social and technological perspectives, and expounds upon the role South Carolinians, like Duke, played in the history of space exploration.

A year in the making, the exhibition recognizes “the greatest achievement of the 20th century,” Education Director Tom Falvey says. Duke’s involvement with Apollo 11, and later as an Apollo 16 moonwalker, was a “natural” fit, Falvey said.

Duke grew up in Lancaster before attending Admiral Farragut Academy, and later the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received science degrees at both schools and became a fighter pilot and test pilot. He was in the fifth group of astronauts chosen by NASA and was on the Apollo 10 support team before his CAPCOM assignment for Apollo 11.

“They always had an astronaut at CAPCOM because they knew the system,” Falvey says. “They also said Charlie Duke’s Southern drawl was so calming it kept those guys focused.”

Duke was a backup pilot for the ill-fated Apollo 13, but caught a case of German measles and exposed the prime crew to the disease. He would finally get his seat on Apollo 16 in 1972, along with a nickname from the crew: Typhoid Mary. 

At age 36, Duke became the youngest man to walk on the moon. He spent more than 20 hours outside the lunar module, which included driving the lunar rover. Duke retired as an Air Force brigadier general.

The main room of the Apollo 50 exhibit contains some of Duke’s personal items, such as his spacesuit, helmet and various tools he used in space. Items are on loan from the Smithsonian, or were donated from Duke’s personal collection. The museum’s exhibit team created a model of the lunar rover guests can sit in.

“It’s great to be able to see objects that actually traveled to the moon,” Falvey says. “I’m kind of fond of his Omega Speedmaster watch. This is a commercial watch that was able to survive the temperatures and G-forces.”

In addition to artifacts, the exhibition illuminates the social climate of the 1960s. Guests enter, passing a dramatic moonscape featuring a video of President John F. Kennedy at Rice University delivering his famous 1962 “we choose to go to the moon” speech. Continuing, guests pass a wall with images from key events of the era, such as the civil rights struggle and the Russian space race.

“We really wanted to show what the ’60s were like,” Falvey says.

The museum elected to tell a story that’s broader than just that of the first moon shot. Not everyone was supportive of the effort, which clocked in at $25 billion at the time.

“Polling was pretty much split 50-50 and plenty of people thought we needed to address what was going on in the United States, rather than spending all that money on the space program,” he says.

While the Apollo program is the main focus, a large photo wall recognizes the legacy of all space explorers from South Carolina.

Featured are former NASA administrator Charles Bolden; Ron McNair, who perished on the Space Shuttle Challenger’s fatal 1986 mission; five-time shuttle flyer Frank Culbertson; John Casper, who flew four shuttle missions; and Catherine Coleman who flew on both the shuttle and a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.

In another local connection, the exhibit features a gallery of exciting images of the Apollo 11 capsule splashdown and recovery effort as photographed by two South Carolina Navy vets, Milt Putnam of Newry, and Robert Coggin of Columbia.

“It’s always great to tell those stories because they get lost,” Falvey says. “It’s our job to bring them out.”

On a Friday afternoon in late August, Annette Daniel of northeast Columbia browsed the gallery with members of her family and reflected on the excitement of watching the first moon landing.

“I was in awe,” she says. “When they landed on the moon, it made my goose pimples have geese.”

Passing by the wall of South Carolina astronauts, she pointed to Bolden, Duke and McNair and reveled in their achievements. “This is just beyond comprehension.”

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Get There

The South Carolina State Museum is located at 301 Gervais Street in Columbia.

HOURS: Monday, Wednesday through Friday: 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.; Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.

ADMISSION: Apollo 50: Journey to the Moon is free with museum general admission or membership. Adults 13–61, $8.95; seniors (ages 62 and up), $7.95; children ages 3–12, $6.95; infants 2 and under, free. Active duty military personnel in uniform receive free general admission on Thursdays.

DETAILS: Apollo 50 will run until September 2020, when most of the exhibition will be rolled into the museum’s new space gallery. For more information on this exhibit and other space-related events, visit scmuseum.org or call (803) 898-4921.

DON’T MISS: A space fan’s trip to the museum wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the observatory or a show at the 55-foot planetarium. While there, be sure to check out the museum’s collection of antique telescopes.