Apollo 16: A giant leap, 50 years on
In a time when the United States appears more divided than ever, and as it prepares to send humans back to the moon and beyond, it was imperative to retell the story of the Giant Leap. Chaco worked closely with astronaut Charlie Duke: Apollo 16’s lunar module pilot and youngest man to walk on the Moon to make it relevant to a generation with more computing power in a single phone than was available to the entire Apollo program 50 years ago.
The work ranged from designing and delivering the best website of any astronaut, to creating content and merchandising in celebration of the 45th and 50th anniversaries of that mission. Results include Charlie Duke collaborations with Porsche and Omega among others.
Launch CharlieDuke.com
Music video created in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 16 mission, first published by NASA on June 2017. Best enjoyed with volume turned up. Original score composed specifically for the occasion. Voice by JFK and original radio communications between the Lunar Module and Houston. 500 frame per second 16MM footage of the Saturn V rocket in lift-off captured by camera E-8 at Kennedy Space Center.
“FANTASTIC”
– Charlie Duke, Apollo 16.
50th anniversary patch
Chaco created a commemorative mission patch for the digital age.
3 Easter eggs were hidden in the new design, allowing to speak to a new generation while staying true to the mission’s heritage. In a nod to the original patch, the stars and stripes of the original patch were maintained but repurposed, adding a second meaning.
1- Each star represents a crew member, the empty one in memory of John Young who died in 2018.
2- The curved surface of the moon intersects the circle inside the 6, recreating Earthrise, “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken” according to nature photographer Galen Rowell.
3- Upward stripes symbolising propulsion.
