Charles Bolden facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Charles Bolden
Bolden in 2009

12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
In office July 17, 2009 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Lori Garver Dava Newman
Preceded by	Michael D. Griffin
Succeeded by	Jim Bridenstine

Personal details
Born	Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (1946-08-19) August 19, 1946 (age 78) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Spouse	Alexis Walker
Children	2
Relatives	Ethel Martin Bolden (mother)
Education	United States Naval Academy (BS) University of Southern California (MS)
Civilian awards	National Space Trophy Nierenberg Prize Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1968–2004
Rank	Major General
Commands	I Marine Expeditionary Force 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Battles/wars	Vietnam War (1972–73) Desert Thunder (1998)
Military awards	Distinguished Service Medal Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2)

Awards	NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal NASA Exceptional Service Medal NASA Space Flight Medal
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space	28 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes
Selection	NASA Group 9 (1980)
Missions	STS-61-C (1986) STS-31 (1990) STS-45 (1992) STS-60 (1994)
Mission insignia

Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (born August 19, 1946) is a famous American. He used to be the head of NASA, which is the U.S. space agency. Before that, he was a high-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps. He also flew into space four times as an astronaut.

Bolden finished college at the United States Naval Academy in 1968. He became a Marine pilot and later a test pilot. A test pilot flies new airplanes to make sure they work safely. After his time as an astronaut, he went back to the Naval Academy to help lead the students there.

On May 23, 2009, President Barack Obama chose Bolden to be the Administrator of NASA. The U.S. Senate agreed to this on July 15, 2009. Bolden was the first African American to lead NASA permanently. He retired from NASA on January 19, 2017.

In 2020, Bolden was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for his leadership in U.S. human spaceflight and his work to improve space programs.

Becoming an Astronaut and Marine
His Time at NASA
- Space Missions
- Leading NASA
Personal Life
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
See also

Becoming an Astronaut and Marine

Bolden went to C. A. Johnson High School in Columbia, South Carolina. He finished there in 1964. He then earned a degree in Electrical Science from the United States Naval Academy in 1968. Later, in 1977, he got a master's degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

When Bolden was in high school, he wanted to go to the Naval Academy. He was first turned down by his state's politicians. So, he wrote a letter to President Lyndon B. Johnson. A few weeks later, he got an appointment to the Academy.

After graduating in 1968, Bolden became a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He trained to fly planes and became a United States Naval Aviator in May 1970.

He flew over 100 missions in an A-6A Intruder plane. These missions were flown over North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1972 to 1973. After this, he worked as a recruiting officer for the Marines.

In 1979, he finished training at the United States Naval Test Pilot School. He then became a test pilot. He flew many different types of planes, like the A-6E and EA-6B. He has flown for more than 6,000 hours in total.

Bolden speaking at a USMC recruiting event in 1982.

NASA chose Bolden to be an astronaut candidate in May 1980. He was part of the NASA Astronaut Corps until 1994. Then, he went back to the Marine Corps. He held important leadership roles, including Deputy Commanding General of I Marine Expeditionary Force. In July 1998, he became a major general. He retired from the military in August 2004.

His Time at NASA

Bolden officially became an astronaut in August 1981. He was one of several astronauts recruited by actress Nichelle Nichols. NASA wanted more minority and female astronauts. Bolden had many important jobs at NASA. He was the Safety Officer for the Astronaut Office. He also helped with safety and quality for space missions.

Bolden flew on four space missions. He spent over 680 hours in space. He was the pilot on two missions and the commander on two others.

He was the first person to test the "slidewire baskets" at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39. These baskets are a way for astronauts to quickly escape a Space Shuttle if there's an emergency on the launch pad.

Before becoming NASA Administrator, Bolden even auditioned to be a virtual host. This was for an educational ride called "Shuttle Launch Experience" at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Space Missions

Bolden on the flight deck of Columbia during STS-61-C.

STS-61-C (January 1986): Bolden was the pilot of the Space Shuttle Columbia. During this six-day flight, the crew launched a satellite. They also did science experiments about space and materials. The mission landed safely at night.

STS-31 (April 1990): Bolden piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery. This five-day mission was very important. The crew launched the Hubble Space Telescope into space. They also took many pictures of Earth from a very high altitude.

STS-45 (March 1992): Bolden was the commander of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. This mission was the first "Mission to Planet Earth" using a special lab called Spacelab. The crew studied Earth's atmosphere in detail. They also used an electron beam to create an artificial aurora.

Bolden on the flight deck of Discovery during STS-60.

STS-60 (February 1994): Bolden commanded the Space Shuttle Discovery again. This was a historic flight because it was the first time a Russian cosmonaut, Sergei Krikalev, flew on an American Space Shuttle. The crew did many joint science activities together.

Leading NASA

Bolden speaks after the landing of the last Space Shuttle mission, STS-135.

In 2009, President Obama chose Bolden to lead NASA.

In a video in 2010, Bolden said, "We're going to turn science fiction into science fact." This means NASA wants to make amazing things from science fiction stories real.

Bolden also said that one of his main goals was to get kids excited about science and math. He also wanted to make NASA's international partnerships stronger.

Bolden has said that NASA's big dream is to land astronauts on Mars. He also worried about budget cuts affecting important NASA projects.

On August 28, 2012, Bolden made history. His voice was the first human voice ever broadcast on the surface of Mars! The Mars rover received his message and sent it back to Earth.

In 2015, Bolden talked about the next steps for a human journey to Mars. He explained how NASA plans to get humans to the Red Planet.

He left his role as NASA Administrator on January 19, 2017. After leaving NASA, Bolden joined the Space Advisory Committee for the United Arab Emirates.

Personal Life

Charles Bolden lives in Alexandria, Virginia. He is married to Alexis Bolden, and they have two children. Bolden is a Christian. He once said that he believes there is life beyond Earth. He thinks it's hard to imagine that God would only put life on one planet in the huge universe.

Awards and Honors

Bolden has received many awards for his service and achievements. These include:

National Space Trophy – 2014
Nierenberg Prize – 2016
Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science – 2017
Inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017
Member of the National Academy of Engineering – 2020
Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, 2020

He has also received many honorary degrees from different universities. These degrees recognize his important contributions to science and public service.