Charles Bolden
A Marine Corps aviator who piloted the Space Shuttle and later steered NASA through a pivotal era of commercial spaceflight and deep-space ambition.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American astronaut and 12th NASA Administrator·Birthday: August 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charles Bolden's career is a testament to service, beginning with 34 years in the Marine Corps where he flew over 100 combat missions in Vietnam. Selected as a NASA astronaut, he logged 680 hours in orbit across four shuttle missions, commanding two of them, including the flight that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. This unique perspective—as a warrior, an explorer, and an operator—informed his historic tenure as the first African American to permanently lead the space agency. Appointed by President Obama, Bolden navigated the end of the Space Shuttle program, championed the rise of private companies like SpaceX to resupply the International Space Station, and set NASA on its current course with the ambitious goals of returning to the Moon and reaching Mars. A calm, determined leader, he worked to expand Earth science research and global partnerships, arguing that space exploration was not a luxury but a necessity for innovation and international cooperation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Charles was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Piloted the Space Shuttle mission (STS-31) that successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990.
- Served as the 12th NASA Administrator from 2009 to 2017, the first African American to hold the position permanently.
- Commanded the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission (STS-60) in 1994, which included a Russian cosmonaut in the crew.
- Oversaw the transition from the Space Shuttle program to commercial cargo and crew partnerships with private companies.
Did You Know?
Before becoming an astronaut, he served as a Naval Aviator and test pilot, flying over two dozen different aircraft.
He was a linebacker on the U.S. Naval Academy football team alongside future Senator John McCain.
Bolden's astronaut class of 1980, known as "The Nineteen," included the first American woman in space, Sally Ride.
He is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, one of fewer than 30 people to receive the award.
“Curiosity and the urge to explore are fundamental human traits.”
