Charles Frank Walker is an American engineer and former astronaut who flew on three Space Shuttle missions as a Payload Specialist for McDonnell Douglas. He was the first non-governmental, commercially-sponsored astronaut to fly in space. His primary role was to operate the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis (CFES) experiment, a project developed by McDonnell Douglas in conjunction with Johnson & Johnson, aimed at purifying pharmaceutical products in the microgravity environment of space. Walker is an alumnus of Purdue University, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. His career has been dedicated to aerospace engineering, particularly focusing on space commercialization and microgravity research.
Charles Frank Walker's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:
Made history as the first industry-sponsored (McDonnell Douglas) astronaut to fly in space, paving the way for commercial involvement in space missions.
Flew aboard three Space Shuttle missions: STS-41-D (Discovery, 1984), STS-51-D (Discovery, 1985), and STS-61-B (Atlantis, 1985), accumulating over 20 days in space.
Successfully operated the CFES experiment on all his missions, contributing to research in bioprocessing and pharmaceutical development in microgravity.
Awarded NASA Space Flight Medals for his participation in Space Shuttle missions, recognizing his contributions to the U.S. space program.
Has been a long-standing advocate for the commercial use of space and has contributed to policy discussions and industry development in this area post his astronaut career.
DePaul University - Year 2001
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