Charles “Charlie” Walker

PERSONAL INFORMATION: Charlie Walker resides in Arizona. He and wife Susan Flowers Walker have one daughter, a granddaughter, a grandson, and one great grandson.

EDUCATION: Walker graduated from Bedford High School, Bedford, Indiana – his hometown – in 1966. He attended Purdue University and in 1971 received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Later he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

NASA EXPERIENCE: In the mid-1980s he flew aboard three NASA Space Shuttle missions (STS-41D, 51D, and 61B) as the first private/commercial astronaut in space. His activities on those missions included micro-gravity purification of commercial biomedical materials and research into protein crystal growth. He accumulated 20 days of experience in space and traveled 8.2 million miles.

OTHER EXPERIENCE: Although never a NASA employee Walker has worked in NASA’s two largest space programs of the past few decades, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. He also made early contributions to the Constellation space exploration program. Walker has most recently assisted in the design of the CST-100 Starliner commercially operated crew transport spacecraft. These were made as an employee of the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company (sponsor of his earlier spaceflights), and later the Boeing Company. He has been involved in research, engineering design, development and operations planning, business development, marketing, executive management, and advocacy through industry, government, academic and private organizations.

Previously he worked for the U. S. Navy Sea Systems Command engineering manufacturing systems, the Bendix Aerospace Company designing missile systems, and earlier with the U. S. Forest Service as a technician and a forest firefighter.

Mr. Walker has served on the boards, and as an executive, of numerous not-for-profit and educational groups including the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, the Association of Space Explorers, the American Astronautical Society, the National Space Society, and the X-Prize Committee. He has also served on various National Academy of Science committees.

He has authored numerous book contributions, papers, columns and articles on space applications, commercialization, history, and public advocacy. His diverse public activities include testimony before congressional committees, a television documentary and a children’s program, and many lectures.