Apollo Astronaut Who Walked on the Moon Warns: UFOs Are Demonic, Trying to Deceive
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A NASA astronaut who became the youngest person ever to walk on the moon says he believes mysterious lights in the sky that some attribute to aliens have a spiritual explanation grounded in Scripture.
Charles “Charlie” Duke served as lunar module pilot on Apollo 16 in 1972, becoming the tenth and youngest person to walk on the moon at age 36. A retired Air Force brigadier general, Duke later became a Christian speaker, sharing how his faith in Christ gave him purpose beyond his achievements in space.
Duke, 91, told CBN News he believes the mysterious phenomena that some identify as UFOs or evidence of visitors from other planets are actually demonic.
“The UFOs are trying to turn us away from the truth, and run after these alien beings, which are really not beings at all. They're demonic,” Duke told CBN.
“So, people laugh at me, and you can laugh at me if you want to. But that's what God showed me, and I'm sticking to it.
Duke, who says he never saw anything strange during his mission, said he believes God answered his prayer for clarity about UFOs.
“This just goes back years and years ago for me. I was praying about UFOs, and I asked for a sign. I felt like UFOs were demonic, and I was saying that at Rotary clubs and stuff like that, and people were laughing me off the stage.”
Believing UFOs were demonic, Duke prayed that God would give him a sign the next day to confirm his belief.
“So I said, 'God, if I'm really right about this, then give me a sign tomorrow morning.'”
The next morning, a friend of his who never discussed science suddenly asked Duke questions about UFOs.
“To me, that answered my prayer. The Lord said: What we're seeing is real, but the devil can appear as an angel of light.”
Duke was aboard the next-to-last Apollo mission to the moon and was one of 12 men to walk on its surface. He said he responds patiently to those who believe NASA never went.
“The way I respond [is I say], ‘Look, you just haven't investigated it thoroughly. The evidence is overwhelming. We landed on the moon.’”
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2009, has photographed the equipment left behind by the Apollo astronauts—including the lunar rover that Duke and his crewmate, John Young, drove.
“We've got 600 pounds of moon rocks that are totally different from Earth’s rocks, and we've got experiments that we left up there that pumped back data for years and years,” he said.
“There's no question that we went to the moon.”
Asked how he wants to be remembered, Duke pointed not to the moon landing but to his faith.
“If nobody ever remembers that I walked on the moon, it doesn't matter to me. But I want Jesus to know that I walked with Him.”
Photo Credit: ©NASA
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published October 22, 2026.
