Question 1

True or false: Apollo 16 astronauts planted the first American flag on the Moon during their mission.

Accepted Answer

False. The first flag was planted during Apollo 11 in 1969. Apollo 16 planted the fifth flag, but it wasn't the first.

Question 2

True or false: The Apollo 16 lunar module was named 'Snoopy' after the comic strip beagle.

Accepted Answer

False. The lunar module was named 'Orion'; 'Snoopy' was the Apollo 10 lunar module. This is a common mix-up.

Question 3

True or false: Commander John Young became the ninth person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 16.

Accepted Answer

True. John Young, a veteran of Apollo 10, stepped onto the Moon on April 21, 1972, as the ninth human to do so.

Question 4

True or false: The Apollo 16 crew brought back a piece of the Moon that was later found to contain water ice.

Accepted Answer

False. No water ice was found in Apollo 16 samples. Water was only detected in lunar samples much later from newer missions.

Question 5

True or false: The Apollo 16 mission was the first to land in the lunar highlands instead of a mare.

Accepted Answer

True. Apollo 16 targeted the Descartes Highlands, a rugged area not previously visited, to study highland geology.

Question 6

True or false: Apollo 16 carried a laser altimeter that accidentally mapped a hidden underground crater.

Accepted Answer

True. The laser altimeter revealed a large subsurface depression near the landing site, later confirmed as a buried impact crater.

Question 7

True or false: Apollo 16 experienced a critical engine failure that nearly aborted the mission.

Accepted Answer

False. Apollo 16 had a serious glitch in the command module's main engine before landing, but it was fixed and the mission continued. No engine failure occurred.

Question 8

True or false: Apollo 16 astronauts collected a rock that turned out to be older than any previously found on the Moon.

Accepted Answer

True. They found a 4.5-billion-year-old anorthosite sample, dubbed the 'Genesis Rock,' which predates most lunar materials.

Apollo 16 Trivia Questions