Charles Bolden Jr.

Pioneering as the first African American to head the NASA Administration, on a permanent basis, Charles Bolden made his mark in aeronautics and space early on in his life.

Earning a Bachelors of Science in electrical science from the Unites States Naval Academy and a Master of Science in systems management from University of Southern California, Bolden’s educational achievements would take him to astronomical heights.

After joining NASA’s Astronaut Office in 1980, he traveled to orbit space four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions. Bolden led astronauts for vehicle test and checkout at the Kennedy space center and he also played a crucial role as Chief Safety Division at Johnson, overseeing safety efforts for return flights after the 1986 challenger tragedy/explosion.

Bolden’s pledge for safety/ to safety continued as Bolden was the first human test subject to ride the Launch Complex 39 slide wire baskets, which enabled rapid escape from a space shuttle on a launch pad, in case of emergency.  

Bolden’s leadership and courageous efforts rightly earned him the nomination of administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminstration by President Barack Obama. As NASA twelfth administrator Bolden leads NASA teams and manages its resources to advance the agency’s missions and goals.