For most astronauts, the love of space is sparked at an early age. But for NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, it was the military, and a chance meeting with a legend, that started it all. Armed with Science’s Jessica Tozer sits down with this veteran-turned-astronaut, who tells his amazing story of going from service member to space man.

*The UDT program, or the Underwater Demolition Team program was an elite special-purpose force established by the U.S. Navy. Their primary function was to find and destroy enemy defensive obstacles on beaches prior to amphibious landings. They also were the frogmen who retrieved astronauts after splashdown in the Mercury through Apollo missions.