Charles F. Bolden, Jr. 1946–

U.S. military officer, astronaut

Recruited by NASA

Became Space Shuttle Pilot, then Commander

Took on Administrative Duties

Sources

“When I was a kid,” Charles Bolden explained in an interview with Contemporary Black Biography (CBB), “all astronauts were male, all astronauts were test pilots, all astronauts were white, and all astronauts were the same size. I didn’t fit into most of these categories.”

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, during the pre-civil rights era, Bolden had little reason to anticipate a future in space exploration. Yet by 1992, when he was selected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) head Dan Goldin to help restructure the agency, he had distinguished himself not only as an accomplished astronaut, but also as an able administrator.

Bolden attributes his professional success to the advances made in the United States by pioneers in the civil rights movement and to an academic discipline instilled in him by his parents, both of whom were educators. “I was always encouraged to study,” he told CBB. “I’m very thankful for that now.” A serious student at an early age, Bolden overcame the obstacles presented by a segregated school system to graduate with honors from C. A. Johnson High School.

The values that he developed as a young student served him well throughout his academic career. In 1968 Bolden graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in electrical science; in 1977 he earned a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California; and in 1979 he completed test pilot training.

Between degrees, Bolden married Alexis “Jackie” Walker, whom he had known since he was three years old, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1968, underwent two years of flight training, and was designated a naval aviator in May of 1970. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he served as a fighter pilot in the A-6A Intruder, flying more than 100 combat missions between 1972 and 1973.

Recruited by NASA

When his tour in Vietnam was over, Bolden spent the next few years as a Marine Corp recruiting officer. In the meantime, NASA was reevaluating its astronaut selection

At a Glance…

Born Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., August 19, 1946, in Columbia, SC; son of Charles Frank (a teacher) and Ethel (a teacher) Bolden; married Alexis (Jackie) Walker, 1968; children: Anthony Ché, Kelly M. Education: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, B.S. (electrical science), 1968; University of Southern California, M.S, (systems management), 1977.

Served in U.S. Marine Corps, 1968-78; became colonel; designated naval aviator, 1970; flew more than 100 sorties in Vietnam, 1972-73. Graduated from U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, MD, 1979, and was assigned to Naval Air Test Center. Selected as a recruit by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 1980; became astronaut, August 1981; appointed assistant deputy administrator of NASA headquarters, 1992.

Member: U.S. Naval Institute, Montford Point Marine Association, Naval Academy Alumni Association, University of Southern California General Alumni Association, Omega Psi Phi.

Awards: NASA Exceptional Service medals, 1988, 1989, 1991; University of Southern California Alumni Award of Merit, 1989; NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, 1992. Military honors include Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, and Strike/Flight Medal. Honorary degrees from University of South Carolina, Winthrop College, and Johnson C. Smith University.

Addresses: Office —National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058.

criteria. “As we went through the sixties and through the civil rights movement,” Bolden recalled in the CBB interview, “NASA realized that it would be untenable for them to have another astronaut selection in the 1970s and 1980s and not include a culturally diverse group of people.” By the late seventies, NASA’s astronaut profile had changed enough for Bolden to begin considering a professional career with the agency. “In 1977,” Bolden continued, “NASA advertised for people who would be interested in participating in the space shuttle program, and I thought about it. But I didn’t think I’d be selected. So I didn’t apply.” Two years later, after NASA had selected its first ethnically mixed group of recruits, he submitted his application, fully expecting that it would be rejected.

Became Space Shuttle Pilot, then Commander

When he was admitted to the shuttle program among NASA’s 1980 recruits, Bolden began what would become a high-profile career with the agency. Since that time, he has completed several space shuttle missions. In January of 1986, he piloted the space shuttle Columbia’s mission STS-61C, with assignments that included launching a communications satellite and conducting experiments in astrophysics and materials processing.

On his second mission, which took place during the spring of 1990, Bolden served as pilot on the space shuttle Discovery (STS-31), whose five-member crew successfully launched the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope. In J. Alfred Phelps’s They Had a Dream: The Story of African-American Astronauts, Bolden illustrated the power of the Hubble, explaining that if he stood on the moon with a nickel in his hand, “the Hubble Space Telescope could read from the earth the words, ‘In God We Trust.’”

In 1992, two years after the Discovery flight, Bolden commanded the crew of space shuttle Atlantis for mission STS-45, during which a group of multinational oceanographic, atmospheric, and climatic surveys were completed. The experiments were designed to improve our scientific understanding of the earth’s climate and atmosphere.

Took on Administrative Duties

Bolden’s administrative career with NASA began unexpectedly in the aftermath of the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Following that tragedy, in which his close friend, fellow South Carolinian Ronald McNair, was killed, Bolden led a team selected by NASA to investigate the disaster.

The Challenger explosion was just one in a series of catastrophes that plagued NASA during the post-Cold War era. Faced with budgetary cutbacks, allegations of mismanagement, and a crisis of confidence, the agency hired a new director, career aerospace administrator Dan Goldin, to restore its credibility. In 1992 Goldin, charged with the task of restructuring NASA, selected Bolden to act as his second-in-command. Bolden’s responsibilities as assistant deputy administrator included monitoring the agency for efficiency and cost-effective management and reporting its progress to Congress.

But his space flight assignments were far from over. By early 1994, Bolden had been chosen to command a six-member crew on shuttle mission STS-60, a joint U.S./Russian mission that would become the first flight to feature Russian and American mission specialists on the same crew.

Charlie Bolden encourages young African Americans to make their dreams a reality: “Believe in yourself,” he was quoted as saying in They Had a Dream. “Don’t let anybody else determine what your life is going to be. Pick some goal that’s just slightly out of your reach, then go for it. Be persistent and don’t be afraid of failing. Some of my best accomplishments … have come after I’ve failed, picked myself up, and tried again.”

Sources

Books

Otto, Dixon P., On Orbit: Bringing On the Space Shuttle, Main Stage Productions, 1986.

Phelps, J. Alfred, They Had a Dream: The Story of African-American Astronauts, Presidio Press, 1994, pp. 145-62, 247.

Periodicals

Jet, May 14, 1990.

New York Times, March 25, 1992.

State(Columbia, SC), May 26, 1992; September 21, 1992.

Sun (Baltimore, MD), August 12, 1983, p. 9.

Contemporary Black Biography interviewed Charles F. Bolden, Jr., on November 13, 1992. Additional information for this profile was obtained from NASA press releases dated November 1993 and February 1994.

—Nina Goldstein