In April 1972, astronaut Charles Duke took something to the Moon that had nothing to do with the scientific mission of Apollo 16: a photograph of his family.
During his third walk on the lunar surface, Duke left the image on the ground, protected by a plastic cover. It showed his wife Dorothy and their two children, Charles and Thomas, who were 7 and 5 years old at the time.
On the reverse, he wrote a message addressed from the Moon to Earth: “This is the family of astronaut Duke of planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972”.
Before leaving, Duke photographed the image on the lunar surface. The original family photograph remained there, making his wife and two children part of the few families whose memories literally made it all the way to the Moon.