Charles Bolden

For the jazz musician, see Buddy Bolden.

Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (born August 19, 1946) is a former administrator of NASA, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General, and a former astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions.

He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the class of 1968. Bolden became a Marine aviator and test pilot. After his service as an astronaut, he became Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy.

On May 23, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Bolden as Administrator of NASA and Lori Garver as deputy NASA administrator. Both were confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent on July 15, 2009. Bolden was the first African American to head the agency on a permanent basis.

On January 12, 2017, Bolden announced his retirement from NASA during a town hall meeting at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. His last day would be January 19, and Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. was announced as acting NASA administrator.

In 2020, Bolden was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his leadership in developing U.S. human spaceflight and space operations programs, and for helping to revitalize fundamental aeronautics research.

Education

Bolden graduated from C. A. Johnson High School in Columbia, South Carolina in 1964. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical science from the United States Naval Academy in 1968. There, he was a student at the same time as future Marine officers Oliver North, Jim Webb, and Michael Hagee. He also studied alongside future Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen and Admirals Dennis C. Blair and Jay L. Johnson.

He later earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977. He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Military career

Bolden was turned down for an appointment to the United States Naval Academy by South Carolina's Congressional delegation, which included then segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond. He received his appointment after he wrote to President Lyndon B. Johnson as a high school senior. Later, U.S. Representative William L. Dawson from Chicago, Illinois gave him an appointment. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1968, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). He was class president and trained in Pensacola, Florida, Meridian, Mississippi, and Kingsville, Texas. In May 1970, he became a United States Naval Aviator. From June 1972 to June 1973, he flew more than 100 missions into North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in the A-6A Intruder, while assigned to VMA(AW)-533 at Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong in Thailand. He later became a recruiting officer in Los Angeles, California and then served at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California. In June 1979, he graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. He was then assigned to the Naval Air Test Center, where he flew many test projects in the A-6E, EA-6B, and A-7C/E airplanes and logged more than 6,000 hours of flying time.

Bolden was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1980 and was a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps until 1994. That year, he returned to the Marine Corps, first as Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy. In July 1997, he became Deputy Commanding General of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. From February to June 1998, he was Commanding General of I MEF (Forward) in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. In July 1998, he was promoted to major general, his final rank, and became Deputy Commander of United States Forces Japan. From August 2000 to August 2002, he commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. He retired from the military in August 2004.

NASA career

Bolden became an astronaut in August 1981, after NASA selected him in May 1980. He was one of several astronauts recruited by Nichelle Nichols as part of a NASA effort to increase the number of minority and female astronauts. His jobs at NASA included work at the Johnson Space Center, the Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Kennedy Space Center, and he served as Assistant Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters. He flew on four space flights and logged over 680 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-61-C and STS-31, and the mission commander on STS-45 and STS-60. He was the first person to ride the Launch Complex 39 slidewire baskets, which allow a quick escape from a Space Shuttle on the launch pad. That test was needed after a launch abort on STS-41-D. Years before he became NASA's administrator, he auditioned for the role of virtual host at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida.

On STS-61-C, he piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia, which deployed a SATCOM Ku-band satellite. The mission landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Bill Nelson, who later also served as a NASA Administrator, flew on that mission as a payload specialist. It was the final mission before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. On STS-31, he piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery, which deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. On STS-45, he commanded the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which flew the first Spacelab mission dedicated to NASA's "Mission to Planet Earth". On STS-60, he commanded Discovery on the first joint American–Russian Space Shuttle mission, which included Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev as a mission specialist. The crew carried SPACEHAB-2 and the Wake Shield Facility.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Bolden to be NASA's administrator. In 2010, he compared the Constellation Program to a stillborn baby calf taken from a camel's womb by U.S. Marines. In a June 2010 interview with Al Jazeera, he said his goals included inspiring children to study science and math and expanding NASA's international relationships. He said NASA's long-term ambition was landing astronauts on Mars. On January 12, 2017, he announced his resignation, and Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. was named acting NASA administrator. After leaving NASA, he served on the United Arab Emirates Space Advisory Committee. In 2013, as Administrator of NASA, he noted National Aerospace Week. In 2015, he presented plans for a human journey to Mars at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.

Personal life

Bolden lives in Alexandria, Virginia. He is married to Alexis (née Walker), and the couple have two children. Bolden is a Christian. In a question and answer session in May 2010, he explained that his faith teaches him about an all-powerful, everywhere-present God, and he said he could not believe that such a God would put life on only one planet among millions of suns. He added that the problem is that he hasn't been far enough away.

In the 2024 United States presidential election, Bolden endorsed Kamala Harris.

Awards

Honors

Charles Bolden received many honors for his work. He was given an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina in 1984 and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Winthrop College in 1986. He received the Alumni Award of Merit from the University of Southern California in 1989 and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Johnson C. Smith University in 1990. Later honorary degrees came from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2008), Monmouth University (2011), the University of Maryland University College (2012), the University of Bristol (2014), Rochester Institute of Technology (2015), Bar-Ilan University (2016), the University of Arizona (2017), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (2022).

He also received the National Space Trophy in 2014, the Nierenberg Prize in 2016, and the Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science in 2017. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017 and the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2020, he was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and won the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. He also received the Mani L. Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2022 and the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement.