- Thu February 18, 2027 at 8:00 pm
Former NASA Administrator (2009–2017), Charles F. Bolden Jr. is a retired Marine Corps Major General who led the United States’ civilian space program through the retirement of the space shuttle program and the transition to commercial and deep-space exploration. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Bolden became only the second astronaut to serve as NASA Administrator.
Bolden led the development of the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle and established NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Bolden expanded commercial partnerships supporting the International Space Station and advanced NASA’s Earth observation and aeronautics programs. His tenure included the Mars Curiosity Rover landing, the Juno mission to Jupiter, and continued progress toward the 2021 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. He also served as U.S. Department of State Science Envoy for Space.
Bolden flew four space shuttle missions and logged more than 680 hours in space. He piloted Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986 and Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. He later commanded two additional shuttle flights, Atlantis and Discovery, and served as Chief of NASA’s Safety Division at Johnson Space Center following the Challenger disaster.
During the Vietnam War, Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions and later commanded Marine aviation units. In 1998, he served as Commanding General of the Marine expeditionary force attached to Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. He retired as Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master of science degree from the University of Southern California. He has been inducted into both the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Hall of Fame.