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This article is about the US astronaut. Another
Charles Walker (politician)|Charles Walker is a
British politician.

Charles D. Walker (born August 29, 1948) is a
former USA|American astronaut who flew on three
Space Shuttle missions in 1984-1985|5 as Payload
Specialist.

==Personal data==
Born in Bedford, Indiana. Married to the former
Susan Y. Flowers, of Joplin, Missouri. They have
one daughter and one granddaughter. Recreational
interests include photography, running, hiking,
scuba diving, reading, collecting books on Space,
and bonsai. His mother, Donna Lake Walker, resides
in Bedford; his father is deceased.

==Education==
* 1966: Graduated from Bedford High School,
Bedford, Indiana
* 1971: Received a bachelor of science degree in
aeronautical and astronautical engineering from
Purdue University

==Special honors==
* U.S. Patent No. 4,394,246, Electrophoresis
Apparatus with Flow Control, issued 19 July 1983
* NASA Space Flight Medal (1984, and twice in
1985)
* Sagamore of the Wabash, State of Indiana
(November 1984)
* Doctor of Science, honoris causa, St. Louis
College of Pharmacy (1985)
* Aerospace Laurels Award, Aviation Week & Space
Technology Magazine (1985)
* Lindbergh Award, American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics - St. Louis Section
(1986)
* NASA Group Achievement Award, as consultant to
the 1987-1988|88 Space Station Operations Task
Force
* Engineering Astronaut Alumnus Award, Purdue
University Schools of Engineering (September 1989)
* Kentucky Colonel, Commonwealth of Kentucky (May
1990)

==Experience==
Following graduation from Purdue University he
worked as a civil engineering technician, land
acquisition specialist and forest firefighter for
the U.S. Forest Service. Subsequently he was a
design engineer with the Bendix Corporation|Bendix
Aerospace Company where he worked on aerodynamic
analysis, missile subsystem design, and flight
testing. He also was employed as project engineer
with the Naval Sea Systems Command with
responsibility for computer-controlled
manufacturing systems.

Mr. Walker joined the McDonnell Douglas
Corporation in 1977 as a test engineer on the Aft
Propulsion Subsystem for the Space Shuttle
orbiters. He joined the Space Manufacturing (later
named Electrophoresis Operations in Space, EOS)
team as one of its original members. He shares in
a patent for the McDonnell Douglas developed
continuous flow electrophoresis (CFES) device.

From 1979 to 1986, he was Chief Test Engineer and
Payload Specialist for the McDonnell Douglas EOS
commercialization project. Mr. Walker led the EOS
laboratory test and operations team developing
biomedical products. His contributions to the
program included engineering planning, design and
development, product research, and space flight
and evaluation of the CFES device. He was involved
with the program support activities at Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, and at the Mission Control
Center in Houston, Texas. He was responsible for
training the NASA astronaut crews in the operation
of the CFES payload on STS-4, STS-6, STS-7, and
STS-8 shuttle flights during 1982 and 1983. In May
1986, Mr. Walker was appointed Special Assistant
to the President of McDonnell Douglas Space
Systems Company, working in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Walker has been an industry member of the NASA
Microgravity Material Science Assessment Task
Force, the NASA Space Station Office Quick-is
Beautiful/Rapid Response Research Study Group, and
the NASA Space Station Operations Task Force. He
has been a member of the National Research
Council's Space Applications Board. Mr. Walker was
Faculty Course Advisor and lecturer for the
International Space university 1988 summer
session. He was a participant in the 1988 Center
for Strategic and International Studies civil
Space policy study. He served on the AIAA steering
committee formulating the strategic plan for
NASA's office of Commercial Programs. Mr. Walkers
has served as a board member of the Astronauts
Memorial Foundation. He was the organizing
committee chairman for the 1992 World Space
Congress. He has been a national panel member of
the NASA/Industry Manned Flight Awareness Program
and the NASA/Industry Education Initiative. Mr.
Walker advised the NASA/Purdue University space
life support research center, a NASA/Penn State
space commercial development center and a U.S.
Department of Education/Ohio State University
science education center. He is a board director
of the Challenger Center for Space Science
Education. Mr. Walker has served as the volunteer
chairman of the board of directors of Spacecause,
and is past president and a current board director
of the National Space Society. He is also
currently a board director of the Association of
Space Explorers. Walker is a professional engineer
registered in California. He has authored several
papers and book contributions on the EOS
electrophoresis program, space development,
commercialization, and space history. Mr. Walker
has also written columns and articles appearing in
national newspapers and numerous other
publications.

==NASA experience==
While never an employee of NASA, he has been
extensively involved in payload preparation and
on-pad processing support activities at Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, and in flight support at
the Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas. He was
responsible for training the NASA astronaut crews
in the operation of the CFES payload on STS-4,
STS-6, STS-7, and STS-8 shuttle flights during
1982 and 1983. Confirmed by NASA in 1983 as the
first industrial payload specialist, Mr. Walker
accompanied the McDonnell Douglas CFES equipment
as a crew member on Space Shuttle missions
STS-41-D, STS-51-D, and STS-61-B, accumulating 20
days of experience in space and traveling 8.2
million miles. Aboard these Space Shuttle missions
Mr. Walker also performed early protein crystal
growth experiments and participated as a test
subject in numerous medical studies. Since 1986
Mr. Walker has served in various NASA study and
review team capacities including as a member of
the NASA Microgravity Material Science Assessment
Task Force, the NASA Space Station Office
Quick-is-Beautiful/Rapid Response Research Study
Group, and the NASA Space Station Operations Task
Force. He has served on the national panels of the
NASA/Industry Manned Flight Awareness Program and
the NASA/Industry Education Initiative.

==Currently==
Mr. Walker is Senior Manager of Space Programs
Business Development and Marketing with The Boeing
Company Washington D.C. Operations.

February 1999 – This is the latest revision
available through NASA. Further updates should be
requested from the above named individual.

Source:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/walker.html NASA
biographical page

NASA