Following their April 27, 1972 splashdown that ended their successful 11-day Moon landing mission, Apollo 16 astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Charles M. Duke began their journey home to Houston. After spending one night aboard the prime recovery ship U.S.S. Ticonderoga and a brief stop in Honolulu, they boarded a jet bound for Houston where they reunited with their families. They returned to work the next day to begin debriefings of their mission. The lunar samples the...

Following their April 27, 1972 splashdown that ended their successful 11-day Moon landing mission, Apollo 16 astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. “Ken” Mattingly, and Charles M. Duke began their journey home to Houston. After spending one night aboard the prime recovery ship U.S.S. Ticonderoga and a brief stop in Honolulu, they boarded a jet bound for Houston where they reunited with their families. They returned to work the next day to begin debriefings of their mission. The lunar samples the...