Charles Edward Jones was born November 8, 1952, in
Clinton, Indiana. He graduated from
Wichita East High School in 1970, earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in
Astronautical Engineering from the
United States Air Force Academy in 1974, and received a
Master of Science degree in
astronautics from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980. He entered the USAF
Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program in 1982, and was scheduled to fly on mission
STS-71-B in December 1986, but the mission was canceled after the
Challenger disaster in January 1986. He left the Manned Spaceflight Engineer program in 1987. He later worked for
Defense Intelligence Agency,
Bolling Air Force Base in
Washington, D.C., and was Systems Program Director for Intelligence and Information Systems,
Hanscom Air Force Base,
Massachusetts. Jones was killed at the age of 48 in the attacks of September 11, 2001, aboard
American Airlines Flight 11. Jones was flying that day on a routine business trip for BAE Systems, and had been living as a retired
U.S. Air Force colonel in
Bedford, Massachusetts, at the time of his death. His remains were never found. He was survived by his wife Jeanette. 's
North Pool, along with those of other passengers of Flight 11. ==Military decorations==