{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F0bac7190-aa7c-431f-939b-44458d4cfe83","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"Charlie Bolden on Pathways to Space","description":"Charles Frank Bolden Jr. is a retired US Marine Corps Major General and former NASA astronaut. After flying on four space shuttle missions\u2014STS-61-C, STS-31, STS-45, and STS-60\u2014Charlie 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\u2019ll 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\u2019ll 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.\u201cYou will be technicians, scientists, and researchers all in one\u2014and that\u2019s the kind of people we\u2019re going to be looking for.\u201d - Charlie BoldenThis 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\u2019t necessarily mean being a great astronaut* The lack of diversity in NASA\u2019s 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\u2019s The Martian and what it takes to be a modern-day astronautResources Mentioned:* Book: Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut by Mike MullaneOur Favorite Quotes:* \u201cA great test pilot isn\u2019t necessarily going to be a great astronaut; a great test pilot with a big ego is going to be a lousy astronaut.\u201d - Charlie Bolden* \u201cThe astronauts of today and tomorrow are not going to have the opportunity to train over and over again on something because they\u2019ll find that every day is something new.\u201d - Charlie BoldenRelated Episodes:* The Life of a Visionary with Charlie Bolden* The Birth of the New Space Age with Charlie BoldenConnect with Charlie Bolden:* The Charles Bolden Group* The Charles F. Bolden Group on LinkedIn* ","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/1dfd0129-13dd-4580-97c9-75e77f559ffc/1472142-1680641322.jpg"}