Apollo 16 Astronaut Salutes the U.S. Flag on Lunar Surface

An Apollo 16 astronaut salutes the U.S. flag on the lunar surface. The Lunar Module (LM) and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) can be seen behind him. Apollo 16 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 16, 1972 for a 3-day stay on Earth's Moon. It?s 3-man crew consisted of Thomas K. Mattingly II, Command Module pilot; John W. Young, Mission Commander; and Charles M. Duke Jr., Lunar Module pilot. The first study of the highlands area, the landing site for Apollo 16 was the Descartes Highlands. The fifth lunar landing mission out of six, Apollo 16 was famous for deploying and using an ultraviolet telescope as the first lunar observatory. The telescope photographed ultraviolet light emitted by Earth and other celestial objects. The LRV, developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center, was also used for collecting rocks and data on the mysterious lunar highlands. The mission ended April 27, 1972 as the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
NASA Identifier: MSFC-7030414