NASA Administrator Resigns.

 01/25/2017

(Photo Credit: NASA) Charles Bolden NASA Profile

 On January 20, 2016, Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (Maj. Gen. USMC-Ret.) resigned his position as NASA Administrator. There has been no further comment or news other than his bio https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/bolden_bio.html or his NASA Blog page http://blogs.nasa.gov/bolden/. No report on his successor at this time. Former Marshal Space Flight Center Director Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. has stepped in as Acting Administrator for NASA till a successor can be named and appointed.

(Photo Credit: NASA - STS-61-C Pilot Charles Bolden

  Administrator Charles Bolden has been a strong advocate of the NASA Commercial Cargo and Crew programs as well as the new NASA Deep Space Exploration program the Orion MPCV/ Space Launch System.

 Bolden is a former Space Shuttle Commander and Pilot. He piloted his first mission on the Orbiter Columbia during STS-61-C and returned to earth 10 days before the fateful loss the Orbiter Challenger during the liftoff of STS-51-L on January 28, 1986. He was a part of the He then Piloted Discovery on STS-31 which lifted off on April 24, 1990, for a 5-day mission where he and this crew deployed the famed Hubble Space Telescope. On STS-45 Bolden Commanded the Orbiter Atlantis on the first SpaceHab mission dedicated to ATLAS - 1 the (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science).


During this mission, the crew created the first auroral discharge in orbit by beaming electrons into the atmosphere. Commander Bolden finished out his shuttle career in the orbiter Discovery February 3, 1994, for STS-60 as Commander of the first joint US/Russian Shuttle Science mission where a Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev who was a Mission Specialist on the flight. Onboard Discovery was the SPACEHAB-2 and the Wake Shield Facility-1.

(Photo Credit: NASA) - Commander Bolden during STS-60

 Commander Bolden's NASA career included many technical assignments. One of them being the Astronaut Office Safety Officer another being the Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations as well as Special Assistant to the Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. One of his most important roles in NASA was Chief of the Safety Division at Johnson (where he oversaw efforts to return the shuttle to flight safely after the 1986 Challenger accident) and as the Assistant Deputy Administrator at NASA Headquarters. After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he left NASA and returned to active duty with U.S. Marine Corps until 2003 retiring as a Major General.  In 2009 Then-President Barack Obama tapped Bolden to serve as Administrator of NASA under the conditions to inspire children around the world into learning about Manned and Unmanned Space flight as well as Space Science and exploration. And to inspire people of Muslim faith to show pride in their scientific and mathematical contributions.

 A career of utterly astounding achievements. From being one of the 14 of NASA's African American Astronauts to have flown in space and has accumulated 680 hours in space. Serving in NASA for 30+ years. To being an all-around inspiration to many from people of color as well as every other American and people around the world to further the human dream of exploring our galaxy and beyond. And to boot, he was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

 "Ad Aspera Per Astra " Commander Bolden, Thank You for all you have done, We Salute You!

(Credit: NASA - Charlie Bolden at STS-135 Atlantis Wheels Stop ceremony.