One of the four moonwalkers still alive from the Apollo program, Charlie Duke, says he is still "excited" about space and U.S. efforts to push the boundaries of space exploration.

At 86 years old, Duke said, "With Artemis, NASA is going to be focused on deep space, to the moon and beyond, and I’m excited about that,” during an interview in Columbia, South Carolina, according to a report.

Duke has been traveling to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his voyage on Apollo 16 to the moon in 1972. He recently made his way to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to visit his spaceship.

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He said he is encouraged by private sector ventures into space exploration, including those by SpaceX and Blue Origin. According to Duke, these other ventures “make space available for more people and more science and engineering and unmanned stuff.”

“The more people we get into space, who can see the beauty of the Earth ... it’s going to affect a lot of people,” he added.

Duke visited the South Carolina State Museum on Friday, seeing several pieces of his own history, including a spacesuit, checklist, and moon rock.

During a speaking engagement, the astronaut told middle schoolers, “I just encourage you [to] stick with it in school, to hang in there — and all the best in your careers as you continue to grow up and mature in life."

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“I’ve discovered in my life that if you keep those antennas up, if you keep focused on your life and do things that you like to do and take care of yourself, there are unlimited possibilities,” he concluded.