Background
Kohlhase was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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Charles Kohlhase
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He graduated with honors from The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1953, with honors for a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1957, and with a Masters of Engineering degree from University of California, Los Angeles in 1968.
Career
He is also an author, game developer and lecturer. He served as a Lieutenant(jg) on the United States Navy aircraft carriers Essex and Independence from 1957-1959 as the assistant electrical officer of a nuclear weapons team Kohlhase led the design of many deep-space missions during his extended career, including Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Cassini missions.
He managed and guided the team which designed the epic Voyager Grand Tour mission to the outer planets and their moons and rings.
After Voyager, Kohlhase became the science and mission design manager for the international Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan. Following the launch, cruise, and Saturn orbit phases of Cassini, he has continued to advise National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Jet Propulsion Laboratory on numerous missions to Mars and to other worlds.
In addition to his counsel on various review boards, Kohlhase has chaired the Mars Program Systems Engineering Team, composed of many senior experts spanning diverse disciplines. He partnered with Jim Blinn in creating computer graphic animations of the Voyager spacecraft encounters and for the Carl Sagan Cosmos television series.
He has directed many public activities that creatively blend art, science, and education, including international projects sponsored by the National Education Association, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Education, and other agencies.
Achievements
Membership
He is also a member of the Advisory Council for The Planetary Society.
