393. [Apollo 16] JOHN YOUNG'S ICONIC "JUMPING SALUTE" Charles Duke, 16-27 April 1972, EVA 1 Printed 1972. Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image AS16-113-18339]. With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA AS16-113-18339" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context One of the most iconic images of human exploration, this exuberant moment captures Apollo 16 Commander John Young mid-jump as he salutes the American flag. In a demonstration of the Moon's weak gravity, Young effortlessly lifts 0.42 metres (16.5 inches) off the surface, despite his spacesuit and 360-pound (163 kg) Earth weight—reduced to just 60 pounds (27 kg) in lunar gravity. As Young prepared for the salute, Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke recognized the perfect composition unfolding before him: "Hey, John, this is perfect, with the LM and the Rover and you and Stone Mountain. And the old flag. Come on out here and give me a salute. Big Navy salute." — Charles Duke (See mission transcript, 120:25:23 GET) This remarkable scene includes the flag, the Lunar Module Orion, the Lunar Rover, the UV astronomy camera, and the rolling slopes of Stone Mountain in the background. Reflecting on the moment years later, Young noted its significance for future lunar missions: "This shows the advantage of lunar gravity. I weighed, with my suit and backpack, about 360 Earth pounds, but only 60 pounds (30 kg) in the 1/6 gravity of the Moon. The 'jumping salute' photo is one of my favourite pictures, as it shows how nice it will be to live and work on the Moon." — John Young (Jacobs, p. 109) The TV camera on the Rover was broadcasting Young's jump live to Mission Control. : Young's jump live to Mission Control. From the mission transcript when the photograph was taken (T+120:25:42 after launch): 120:23:50 Duke: Are you setting it (the flag) up now? 120:23:51 Young: Yeah. 120:23:52 Duke: Okay, wait a minute; I'll run and come get the camera. Can't pass that up. 120:24:05 Duke: Wait a minute. You're not getting away from there without me getting your picture. 120:25:23 Duke: Hey, John, this is perfect, with the LM and the Rover and you and Stone Mountain. And the old flag. Come on out here and give me a salute. Big Navy salute. 120:25:35 Young: Look at this. (Pause) 120:25:40 England (Mission Control): That's a pretty outstanding picture here (on the TV), I tell you. 120:25:42 Duke: Come on; a little bit closer. Okay, here we go. A big one. Literature LIFE, 12 May 1972, pp. 6-7 The View from Space: American Astronaut Photography, 1962–1972, Schick and Van Haaften, pp. 116-117 Spacecam: Photographing the Final Frontier from Apollo to Hubble, Hope, p. 32 Apollo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Jacobs, p. 109 A Man on the Moon, Chaikin, pp. 140-141