With two weeks until their April 16, 1972 launch to the Moon, Apollo 16 astronauts Commander John W. Young, Command Module Pilot Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Lunar Module Pilot Charles M. Duke, and their backups Fred W. Haise, Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell, continued their preparations while maintaining their preflight medical isolation. At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Young, Mattingly, and Duke participated in the Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT), and with Haise, Roosa, and Mitchell continued final preparations for the planned 12-day flight. Training for Young and Duke’s planned exploration of the Descartes site in the lunar highlands and Mattingly’s scientific observations from lunar orbit included geology briefings, spacewalk training, and simulator runs.
Left: The Apollo 16 Saturn V rocket on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during the Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT). Right: Close-up view of the Apollo 16 spacecraft during the wet phase of the CDDT.
Engineers began the CDDT on March 22, with the goal of exercising the test team, the Saturn V rocket and Apollo spacecraft, and the launch support equipment through a complete launch countdown process, from fueling the rocket and spacecraft to a simulated liftoff. The test lasted seven days and comprised two distinct phases. The wet phase of the CDDT, completed on March 30, involved fueling the launch vehicle but did not include the astronauts. Engineers drained the fuel at the end of the wet test. The next day, Young, Mattingly, and Duke, already in their 21-day preflight isolation as part of the Crew Health Stabilization Program to protect them from any infectious diseases, donned their spacesuits and strapped into the Apollo Command Module as if on launch day to complete the dry phase of the CDDT. The test countdown proceeded until just prior to main engine ignition. All test objectives were completed successfully and cleared the way for the start of the countdown on April 10. Flight surgeons conducted thorough physical examinations of the astronauts and declared them healthy for their upcoming trip to the Moon.
Left: In Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 16 astronauts John W. Young, left, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Charles M. Duke don their spacesuits for the Countdown Demonstration Test. Middle left: Young chats with a suit technician. Middle right: A suit technician assists Mattingly. Right: Duke in a relaxed moment during suit donning.
Left: Apollo 16 astronauts Charles M. Duke, left, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and John W. Young suited for the Countdown Demonstration Test (CDDT). Right: Young, left, Mattingly, and Duke prepare to board the transfer van to take them to Launch Pad 39A for the CDDT.
To be continued…