Astronaut considers walk with Christ more life-changing than walking on the moon

Our take: Astronaut Charlie Duke, who was the youngest person ever to walk on the moon, can still vividly recall the adventure of being on the lunar surface for the first time after traveling on the Apollo 16 mission. After the exhilaration of traveling into space, Duke found himself wondering what could ever top that experience and what he would do with the rest of his life until he found a faith that would carry him the rest of the way. According to Duke, "Walking on the moon was three days, but walking with Jesus is forever."

An event arguably as big as any in the history of the United States, Neil Armstrong's first steps came on television at 10:56 p.m. (EDT) on July 20, 1969.

Charlie Duke remembers. How could he not?

The Capcom astronaut for that Apollo 11 mission entrusted with communicating with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during their landing on the lunar surface, Duke could hardly breathe in those final minutes. The mission was in real danger of aborting and Duke was the sole communication link from mission control to the astronauts hovering over the moon.

"Very intense, very hectic," Duke remembers that night in Houston. "We experienced a lot of communication problems, data dropouts, and computer overload warnings. But we kept going."

Read more about Charlie Duke's faith on Breaking Christian News.