Bolden, Charles Frank Jr.
1946- · Contribution: 1980-2017
Transportation
First African American NASA Administrator, appointed by President Obama in 2009; piloted and commanded four Space Shuttle missions, including the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope; personally encouraged to apply as an astronaut by Ronald McNair, already profiled in this collection

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1946-
- Active since
- 1980-2017
- Category
- Transportation
Impact on the world
Bolden flew the mission that launched Hubble, then led NASA through a pivotal transition as its first Black administrator, shaping the agency's course toward the Moon and Mars.
Sources
- Britannica
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