About John B. Charles
John B. Charles, Ph.D., earned his B.S. in biophysics at The Ohio State University and his doctorate in physiology and biophysics at the University of Kentucky. He came to the Johnson Space Center in 1983 as a NASA-National Research Council postdoctoral fellow and became a civil servant in 1985. He is co-developer of the Shuttle-era fluid-loading countermeasure, and investigated the cardiovascular effects of space flight using ultrasound, re-entry data recording and in-flight LBNP on Space Shuttle astronauts and on crewmembers of the Russian space station Mir. After transition to science-management, he coordinated all of the NASA-sponsored biomedical, biological and microgravity science investigations as Mission Scientist for American astronaut missions on Mir, on STS-95, John Glenn’s Shuttle flight, and on STS-107, Columbia’s last mission in January 2003. He co-chaired the 18th “Humans in Space Symposium” of the International Academy of Astronautics in Houston in 2011.
As the Associate Manager for International Science of NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) from 2012 through 2015, John led NASA’s planning for multinational biomedical research on the International Space Station, including the joint US/Russian one-year ISS mission. He is the US co-chair of the Multilateral Human Research Panel for Exploration, chartered by the Space Station Control Board to increase the efficiency and productivity of ISS biomedical research by coordinating multilateral investigations.
He was named as the Chief Scientist for HRP in 2016 (returning to a position he had held from 2006 to 2012), responsible for balancing the HRP research portfolio to enable and support deep-space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit.
John is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and a Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, has published over 60 scientific articles, and has received several professional awards, including the Silver Snoopy, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal.
AstroCryptoTriviology is John's personal outlet for his avocational interest in spaceflight history with emphasis on the human aspects of spaceflight. Its contents reflect his opinions alone and not the positions of NASA, the U.S. government or any other entity.