Charles Killian has a life long interest in space and aviation. After high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he was an avionics technician specializing in instrument repair. After leaving active duty he remained in the reserve forces for the next twenty-two years. Civilian work included working as a technician on clinical and research laboratory instrumentation. Currently he is employed as a configuration analyst for Dell Computers. Charles remembers watching early Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo launches. All manned space endeavor is important to him. He holds a strong belief that the only truly meaningful exploration of our solar system will be by manned exploration teams. Currently he is the CapCom Coordinator and Engineering IT specialist for the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station at Hanksville, Utah.