Charles Frank Bolden Jr. is a retired US Marine Corps Major General and former NASA astronaut. After flying on four space shuttle missions—STS-61-C, STS-31, STS-45, and STS-60—Charlie was appointed by former President, Barack Obama, to serve as the 12th Administrator of NASA from 2009 to 2017, making him the first African American to head the agency permanently. Today, Charlie is the Founder and CEO Emeritus of the Charles F. Bolden Group, a consortium of accomplished leaders founded in 2017 to foster international collaboration in making life better for all humanity.
Charlie joins me today to discuss the qualities aspiring astronauts need to cultivate to be chosen for modern space programs. You’ll hear about his career at NASA and the characteristics he thinks made him a NASA astronaut. He explores how the dawn of the new space age may change selection preferences for would-be astronauts. You’ll also learn the value of being a team player and why being a jack-of-all-trades is essential to becoming an astronaut of today and tomorrow.
“You will be technicians, scientists, and researchers all in one—and that’s the kind of people we’re going to be looking for.”
- Charlie Bolden
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
● Qualities and characteristics NASA looked for in astronaut candidates in the 1980s
● Civil rights in the 1980s and the psychological implications of growing up in the segregated South
● Why being a team player is a high-value trait for NASA astronauts
● Diversity as a trait of a high-performing organization
● Why being a good fighter pilot doesn’t necessarily mean being a great astronaut
● The lack of diversity in NASA’s Apollo era and how astronaut selection preferences have changed since
● How the dawn of commercial spaceflight is changing preferences for would-be astronauts
● How commercial spacecraft may change the employment prospects of future astronauts
● The kind of crew NASA may seek for the Artemis program and beyond
● Jessica Watkins, Kate Rubins, Peggy Whitson, and why researchers may be the astronauts of the future
● Ridley Scott’s The Martian and what it takes to be a modern-day astronaut
Resources Mentioned:
● Book: Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut by Mike Mullane
Our Favorite Quotes:
● “A great test pilot isn’t necessarily going to be a great astronaut; a great test pilot with a big ego is going to be a lousy astronaut.” - Charlie Bolden
● “The astronauts of today and tomorrow are not going to have the opportunity to train over and over again on something because they’ll find that every day is something new.” - Charlie Bolden
Connect with Charlie Bolden:
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