Former US Astronaut calls on President Kufuor

A former US Astronaut, Brigadier-General Charles Duke Jnr. (Rtd) of the United States Air Force (USAF) on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.

Astronaut Duke on a four-day private visit to Ghana as a Christian businessman and accompanied by a team of investors said, "we want to ensure the faith and power of God in the country. We share in the relationship with Jesus Christ in view of the many obstacles on our path to achieve socio-economic success".

He said this was his first time in West Africa, but had visited some countries in East Africa, where together with other investors they made some investments. Astronaut Duke, who recounted his experience on the moon to President Kufuor presented a photograph of himself on the moon and said, "I was on the moon 30 years ago this month. It was a great adventure".

President Kufuor said," he deemed it a singular opportunity to meet an Astronaut in Ghana". Astronaut Duke, who served as the lunar module pilot of Apollo 16 in April 1972, stayed on the moon for 71 hours and 14 minutes. He was one of the first to drive on the rough and block terrain of the moon, using the lunar vehicle, Rover-2.