Charles Walker
Charles David \"Charlie\" Walker (born August 29, 1948 in Bedford, Indiana). Is an American engineer who flew on three Space Shuttle missions in 1984 and 1985 as a Payload Specialist for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He is the first non-government individual to fly in space.
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 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.
Spaceflights:
No. Mission Position Time Duration
1 STS-41D Discovery PS 30.08. - 05.09.1984 6d 00h 57m
2 STS-51D Discovery PS 12.04. - 19.04.1985 6d 23h 55m
3 STS-61B Atlantis PS 27.11. - 03.12.1985 6d 21h 04m
Total 19d 21h 56m
