Astronaut
On this day, 40 years ago, NASA astronaut Guy Bluford embarked on STS-8, making history as the first African American to venture into space. He went on to participate in three more shuttle missions, accumulating over 688 hours in space. In a 2013 interview with NASA, Bluford admitted that it took him some time to […]
What goes with June? Moon. Ask anyone in Tin Pan Alley. Or ask the creators of Paterson’s 2024 Juneteenth celebration, Saturday June 22 — dedicated to astronaut Ed Dwight. On May 19, Dwight became, at age 90, the oldest man in outer space, beating the record set by William Shatner, his 48-day junior. So Paterson’s […]
More than 60 years after Edward Dwight was chosen to be the first Black astronaut, only to see his place in the history of space exploration taken and deferred by the specter of racism and politics, he went to space on Sunday morning. After landing, at the end of a flight that lasted 9 minutes […]
Ed Dwight told himself the same story for decades: It didn’t matter that he never made it into space. Dwight was the first Black man selected for an American astronaut-training program in 1962. He had spent years at Edwards Air Force Base in California doing zero-gravity training, running test planes and manning experiments that help […]
Ed Dwight celebrates after landing back on Earth following Sunday morning’s ten-minute flight to space. Blue Origin via X More than 60 years after he became the United States’ first Black astronaut candidate, Ed Dwight finally flew to space. On Sunday, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket carried six people to and from the Kármán line—the […]
America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday. Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class. Dwight, now 90, went through […]
VAN HORN, Texas — Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday. Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F. Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class. […]
Blue Origin launches first human crew since 2022 Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launched six people to the edge of space from Texas on Sunday, including Ed Dwight, the first American Black astronaut candidate. Re-watch the launch from Van Horn. VAN HORN, Texas – Blue Origin successfully launched six people to the edge of space […]
VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday. Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F. Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class. HOUSTON, TEXAS – […]
America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on May 19. Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F. Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class. Dwight, now 90, got […]