Charles Bolden Charles Frank Bolden , Jr . ( born August 19 , 1946 ) is the current Administrator of NASA , a retired United States Marine Corps Major General , and former NASA astronaut . A 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy , he became a Marine Aviator and test pilot . After his service as an astronaut , he became Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy . On May 23 , 2009 , President Barack Obama announced the nomination of Bolden as NASA Administrator and Lori Garver as Deputy NASA Administrator . Bolden was confirmed by the Senate on July 15 , 2009 . He is the first African American to head the agency on a permanent basis . Bolden is also the virtual host of the Shuttle Launch Experience attraction at Kennedy Space Center and serves on the board of directors for the Military Child Education Coalition . Education . Bolden graduated from C . A . Johnson High School in Columbia , South Carolina in 1964 . He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical science from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 , and a Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977 . He is a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity . Military career . Bolden accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps following graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 . He was president of his class . He underwent flight training at Pensacola , Florida , Meridian , Mississippi , and Kingsville , Texas , before being designated a Naval Aviator in May 1970 . He flew more than 100 sorties into North and South Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia in the A - 6A Intruder while assigned to VMA ( AW ) - 533 at Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong , Thailand , from June 1972 to June 1973 . Upon returning to the United States , Bolden began a two - year tour as a Marine Corps selection officer and recruiting officer in Los Angeles , California , followed by three years in various assignments at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro , California . In June 1979 , he graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River , Maryland and was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center ' s Systems Engineering and Strike Aircraft Test Directorates . While there , he served as an ordnance test pilot and flew numerous test projects in the A - 6E , EA - 6B , and A - 7C / E airplanes . He has logged more than 6 , 000 hours flying time . Bolden was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1980 . He was a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps until 1994 when he returned to assignments in the Marine Corps , first as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy , effective June 27 , 1994 . In July 1997 , he was assigned as the Deputy Commanding General of I Marine Expeditionary Force . From February to June 1998 , he served as Commanding General , I MEF ( Forward ) in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait . In July 1998 , he was promoted to his final rank of major general and assumed his duties as the Deputy Commander , United States Forces Japan . He then served as the Commanding General , 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing , from August 9 , 2000 until August 2002 . He retired from the military in August 2004 . NASA career . Selected by NASA in May 1980 , Bolden became an astronaut in August 1981 . His technical assignments included : Astronaut Office Safety Officer ; Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations ; Special Assistant to the Director of the Johnson Space Center ; Astronaut Office Liaison to the Safety , Reliability and Quality Assurance Directorates of the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Kennedy Space Center ; Chief of the Safety Division at JSC ; Lead Astronaut for Vehicle Test and Checkout at the Kennedy Space Center ; and Assistant Deputy Administrator , NASA Headquarters . A veteran of four space flights , he has logged over 680 hours in space . Bolden served as pilot on STS - 61 - C ( January 12 – 18 , 1986 ) and STS - 31 ( April 24 – 29 , 1990 ) , and was the mission commander on STS - 45 ( March 24 , 1992 – April 2 , 1992 ) , and STS - 60 ( February 3 – 11 , 1994 ) . Bolden was the first person to ride the Launch Complex 39 slidewire baskets which enable rapid escape from a Space Shuttle on the launch pad . The need for a human test was determined following a launch abort on STS - 41 - D where controllers were afraid to order the crew to use the untested escape system . A few years before his appointment by President Barack Obama to be administrator of NASA , Bolden auditioned , along with professional actors , for the role of virtual host for NASA ' s " Shuttle Launch Experience " educational attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island , Florida . Aside from his experience with NASA , Bolden won the role on performance ability . The attraction , designed by award winning experience designer Bob Rogers ( designer ) and the design team BRC Imagination Arts , is one of the most popular attractions at the Space Center visitor complex , which educates visitors about the preparation , production and provides the visitors with a first - hand simulation experience of ascent into space upon a NASA space shuttle vehicle . Spaceflights . On STS - 61 - C , Bolden piloted Space Shuttle " Columbia " . During the six - day flight , crew members deployed the SATCOM KU band satellite , and conducted experiments in astrophysics and materials processing . STS - 61 - C launched from Kennedy Space Center on January 12 , 1986 . The mission was accomplished in 96 orbits of Earth , ending with a successful night landing at Edwards Air Force Base , California on January 18 , 1986 . Bolden piloted Space Shuttle " Discovery " during STS - 31 . Launched on April 24 , 1990 from Kennedy Space Center , the crew spent the five - day mission deploying the Hubble Space Telescope and conducting a variety of middeck experiments . They also used a variety of cameras , including both the IMAX in cabin and cargo bay cameras , for Earth observations from their record - setting altitude of over 400 miles . Following 75 orbits of Earth in 121 hours , " Discovery " landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 29 , 1990 . On STS - 45 , Bolden commanded a crew of seven aboard Space Shuttle " Atlantis " , launched on March 24 , 1992 from Kennedy Space Center . STS - 45 was the first Spacelab mission dedicated to NASA ' s " Mission to Planet Earth " . During the nine - day mission , the crew operated the twelve experiments that constituted the ATLAS - 1 ( Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science ) cargo . ATLAS - 1 obtained a vast array of detailed measurements of atmospheric chemical and physical properties , which contribute significantly to improving our understanding of our climate and atmosphere . In addition , this was the first time an artificial beam of electrons was used to stimulate a man - made auroral discharge . Following 143 orbits of Earth , " Atlantis " landed at Kennedy Space Center on April 2 , 1992 . Bolden commanded STS - 60 ' s crew of six aboard " Discovery " . This was the historic first joint - American / Russian Space Shuttle mission involving the participation of a Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev as a mission specialist crew member . The flight launched on February 3 , 1994 from Kennedy Space Center , and carried the Space Habitation Module - 2 ( SPACEHAB ) , and the Wake Shield Facility . Additionally , the crew conducted a series of joint U . S . / Russian science activities . The mission achieved 130 orbits of the Earth , ending with a landing on February 11 , 1994 , at the Kennedy Space Center . Administrator of NASA . In 2009 , President Barack Obama appointed Bolden to be administrator of NASA . In a NASA video published April 28 , 2010 , titled " NASA ' s New Era of Innovation and Discovery " , Bolden said : " We ' re gonna turn science fiction into science fact . " In a June 2010 interview with Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera , Bolden said that the top three goals he was tasked with by President Obama were to help re - inspire children to want to get into science and math , to expand NASA ' s international relationships , and , " perhaps foremost " , " to reach out to the Muslim world . . . to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science . . . and math and engineering " . Bolden said his agency ' s long - term ambition is landing astronauts on Mars . However , he has cited spending cuts as a concern for major NASA projects . On August 28 , 2012 , he was the first human being to have his voice broadcast on the surface of Mars . Although the rover has no speakers , it received the transmission of his voice and then beamed it back to Earth . Awards and honors . Bolden ' s military awards include : He has received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of South Carolina ( 1984 ) , and Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Winthrop College ( 1986 ) , the University of Southern California Alumni Award of Merit ( 1989 ) , an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Johnson C . Smith University ( 1990 ) , an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Monmouth University ( 2011 ) , and an Honorary Doctor of Public Service from the University of Maryland University College ( 2012 ) .