{"id":275656,"date":"2023-03-30T16:47:46","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T20:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?post_type=people&p=275656"},"modified":"2024-02-13T08:47:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T13:47:36","slug":"charles-f-bolden-jr","status":"publish","type":"people","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/charles-f-bolden-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Charles F. Bolden, Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-bio-intro maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-bio-intro\">\n\t<div class=\"hds-bio-intro-container grid-row grid-container grid-container-block padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4 desktop:grid-col-3\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-bio-thumbnail width-10 tablet:width-card desktop:width-card-lg\">\n\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1325\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.1); transform-origin: 49% 23%; object-position: 49% 23%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg 2975w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=232,300 232w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=768,994 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=791,1024 791w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=1187,1536 1187w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=1583,2048 1583w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=309,400 309w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=464,600 464w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=695,900 695w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=927,1200 927w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/bolden-portrait-fullres.jpg?resize=1545,2000 1545w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-7 desktop:grid-col-9 grid-row margin-0 padding-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1 desktop:margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"display-60 display-block width-full\">Charles F. Bolden, Jr.<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-lg padding-0 margin-0 color-carbon-60\">NASA Astronaut and NASA Administrator (July 17, 2009\u2013Jan. 19, 2017)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.) was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He began his duties as head of the agency on July 17, 2009. As Administrator, Bolden led a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions and goals of the U.S. space program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At NASA, Bolden oversaw the safe transition from 30 years of space shuttle missions to a new era of exploration focused on full utilization of the International Space Station and space and aeronautics technology development. He led the agency in developing the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the Moon. He also established a new Space Technology Mission Directorate to develop cutting-edge technologies for the missions of tomorrow. During Bolden’s tenure, the agency’s support of commercial space transportation systems for reaching low-Earth orbit enabled successful commercial cargo resupply of the space station and the return of American companies launching astronauts from American soil. Bolden also supported NASA’s contributions toward development of developing cleaner, faster, and quieter airplanes. The agency’s dynamic science activities under Bolden include an unprecedented landing on Mars with the Curiosity rover, launch of a spacecraft to Jupiter, enhancing the nation’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites, and continued progress toward the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"991\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?w=991\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 51% 13%; object-position: 51% 13%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg 991w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=232,300 232w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=768,992 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=793,1024 793w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=310,400 310w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=465,600 465w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=697,900 697w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/s91-49083-medium.jpg?resize=929,1200 929w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 991px) 100vw, 991px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Charles F. Bolden, Jr. official astronaut portrait, 1991. <\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Bolden’s 34-year career with the Marine Corps also included 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born Aug. 19, 1946, in Columbia, S.C., Bolden graduated from C. A. Johnson High School in 1964 and received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical science in 1968 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. After completing flight training in 1970, he became a Naval Aviator. Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while stationed in Namphong, Thailand between 1972 \u20131973.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bolden earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977. In 1978, he was assigned to the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Md., and completed his training in 1979. While working at the Naval Air Test Center’s Systems Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates, he tested a variety of ground attack aircraft until his selection as an astronaut candidate in 1980.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bolden’s NASA astronaut career included technical assignments as the Astronaut Office Safety Officer; Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations; Special Assistant to the Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston; Chief of the Safety Division at Johnson (where he oversaw efforts to return the shuttle to flight safely after the 1986 Challenger accident); lead astronaut for vehicle test and checkout at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and Assistant Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters. After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he left NASA and returned to active duty with Marine Corps operating forces as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1997, Bolden was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Pacific. During the first half of 1998, he served as Commanding General of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. He was promoted to his final rank of major general in July 1998 and named Deputy Commander of U.S. forces in Japan. He later served as the Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., from 2000\u20132002. He retired from the Marine Corps in 2003. Bolden’s many military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"912\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?w=912\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 52% 27%; object-position: 52% 27%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg 912w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=214,300 214w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=768,1078 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=730,1024 730w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=285,400 285w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=428,600 428w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=641,900 641w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/201203070028hq-medium.jpg?resize=855,1200 855w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 912px) 100vw, 912px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA Administrator Charles Bolden testifies during a U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 in Washington.\u00a0<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Bolden is married to the former Alexis (Jackie) Walker of Columbia, S.C. The couple has two children\u2014Anthony Ch\u00e8, a colonel in the Marine Corps, who is married to the former Penelope McDougal of Sydney, Australia, and Kelly Michelle, a plastic surgeon at the Howard University Hospital in Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.) was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He began his duties as head of the agency on July 17, 2009. As Administrator, Bolden led a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":275659,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_people_facebook_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_twitter_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_instagram_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_linkedin_url":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_people_title":"NASA Astronaut and NASA Administrator (July 17, 2009\u2013Jan. 19, 2017)"},"categories":[2883,2880,2671,2668],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[10306],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebPage","headline":"Charles F. 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Bolden, Jr., Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Washington, DC, July 29, 2009. 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