Charles Bolden Jr Head of NASA Date of Birth: 19.08.1946 Country: USA

Biography of Charles Bolden Jr.

Charles "Charlie" Frank Bolden Jr. was born on August 19, 1946 in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. His father, Charles Frank Bolden Sr., was a history teacher and football coach, while his mother, Ethel, worked as a librarian. Despite growing up in a racially segregated society, Bolden received a good education at C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia, where he excelled in sports and math.

Bolden had dreams of either attending a military academy or becoming an astronaut. After graduating from high school, he set his sights on the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. However, he needed a nomination from a congressman or the vice president of the United States. Bolden began writing letters to them years before finishing high school, but all the senators he contacted denied his nomination. It was not until 1964 that he secured the support of Congressman William Dawson and was accepted into the United States Merchant Marine Academy instead.

Bolden graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy in 1968 with a degree in electrical engineering and began his service in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant. After training as a pilot, he became a naval aviator in 1969 and flew combat missions during the Vietnam War. Bolden completed over 100 combat and reconnaissance flights during the conflict. In 1977, he earned a master's degree in systems management from the University of Southern California.

In 1980, Bolden applied to NASA's astronaut program and was accepted. He completed his first spaceflight as a pilot on the space shuttle Columbia in 1986. Bolden went on to fly three more missions, including one that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. In total, he spent over 680 hours in space.

After retiring as an astronaut in 1994, Bolden returned to the United States Naval Academy as the deputy commandant. He rose through the ranks of the Marine Corps and became a brigadier general in 1995. Bolden served in various leadership positions, including commanding the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and deputy commander of the U.S. forces in Japan. He also played a role in planning the military operations in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.

In 2009, Bolden was appointed by President Barack Obama as the administrator of NASA. During his tenure, he faced challenges in securing funding for the space program. Obama ordered the cancellation of the Constellation program, which aimed to return astronauts to the moon, and directed NASA to focus on robotic missions and developing technologies for future human missions to Mars.

Bolden served as the NASA administrator until 2017. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and honors, including two Legion of Merit medals and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Bolden is married to Alexis Walker, and they have two children. In his free time, he enjoys running, playing football, and basketball.