Charles Eldon Brady Jr. (August 12, 1951 – July 23, 2006) was an American physician, a captain in the United States Navy and a NASA astronaut.

Brady specialized in sports medicine and worked as team physician at several universities before joining the US Navy in 1986.

The Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission served as a model for future studies on board the International Space Station.

He was chief of space station astronaut training before leaving to return to Navy duty, where he reached the rank of captain.

In 2000, Brady was assigned as flight surgeon to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington state.

[5] He had enjoyed an active outdoor life and made several expeditions with a ham radio group to small islands in the South Pacific.

[2][6] A few days later, the Houston Chronicle reported the county sheriff's statement that Brady had died of self-inflicted wounds after suffering a long illness related to arthritis.

[7][8] NASA internal emails related to Brady, which were released under the Freedom of Information Act, documented health issues and noted there was an investigation of his suicide, including interviews with family and friends.