Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
 

African American Astronauts

(1)

Guion S. Bluford, Jr., Ph.D. 

(Colonel, U.S. Air Force - Retired): 

First African-American in Space
 
Born in Philadelphia, Guion Bluford enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from Pennsylvania State University. He served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam, where he flew 144 missions and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. After returning to the United States, he earned a Ph.D in aerospace engineering and was one of 35 out of 8,878 applicants accepted by the astronaut program at NASA. On August 30, 1983, Bluford became the first African American in space as a member of the crew of the STS-8 Orbiter Challenger. His primary responsibility, which he successfully accomplished, was the launching of a $45,000,000 Insat-1B communications and weather satellite. Bluford flew on two other space shuttle flights, in 1985 and 1991.

(2)

Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps): Former Astronaut
  • Born: August 19, 1946, in Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Educational Background: Bachelor of science in  electrical science from U.S. Naval Academy; master of science in systems management from University of Southern California. 
  • Missions Flown: Flew on STS-61C, STS-31, STS-45, and STS-60. 
  • Present Occupation: Currently Deputy Commandant, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. 

When Charles Bolden was growing up in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut.  He spent hours reading science fiction books and dreaming of himself aboard a space shuttle headed into space.  When he finished high school in 1964, he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.  He earned a B.S. degree in electrical science in 1968; then he joined the Marines and served in the Vietnam War as a naval aviator.  He applied for test pilot school but was turned down.  To improve his chances of getting accepted, he continued his education at USC and earned a master's degree.

He knew that each eduacational step was putting him closer to his goal of becoming an astronaut.  He was encouraged all along the way by his parents.  They told him to "study, work hard, and never be afraid of failure."

Charles followed his parents' advice.  His hard work paid off.  He was finally accepted in the U.S. naval test pilot school in Maryland.  His educational background and his flight experience made him an excellent candidate for the Astronaut Corp training.  During his pilot training he logged over 4000 hours of flying time.  In May, 1980, Charled Bolden could hardly believe the news that he was one of nineteen astronauts selected by NASA.  In August 1981, he completed his training and evaluation course that qualified him as a space shuttle pilot, and then on January 12, 1986, after seven launch delays, the space shuttle Columbia roared into space with Charles Bolden as the pilot.  As the space shuttle sped toward its orbit around the earth, Bolden knew that there would be no further delays, no turning back.  He was going into space.

As he watched his dreams come true, his parents' words of advice came back to him. "Study, work hard, and never be afraid of failure." Charles had followed his parents' advice.  He had studied hard, he had worked hard, he was not afraid of failure, and now he was on his way to the stars.

(3)

Frederick D. Gregory 

(Colonel, U.S. Air Force - Retired): 

First African-American Space Shuttle Commander
 

(4)

Mae C. Jemison, M.D.: 

First African-American Woman in Space
  • Born: October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama. 
  • Educational Background: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Stanford University; doctorate of medicine from Cornell University. 
  • Missions Flown: Flew on STS-47. 
  • Present Occupation: Currently President, The Jemison Group, Inc., Houston, Texas. 
Born in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Carol Jemison graduated from Stanford University in 1977 with a degree in chemical engineering. She then entered Cornell Medical School, earning her M.D. in 1981. She joined the Peace Corps in 1983 and served as a medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia. In addition to English, she speaks Swahili, Japanese, and Russian. In 1987, Jemison was accepted into NASA's astronaut training program and, in 1992, became the first African-American woman in space as part of the crew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. In 1993 she left NASA to establish The Jemison Group, Inc., a Houston-based company that designs programs utilizing advanced technology to solve social problems in developing nations. She was also the director of The Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries at Dartmouth College where she was a professor of environmental studies. Jemison is currently Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She lives in Houston.

(5)

Bernard A. Harris, Jr., M.D.:

First African-American to Walk in Space
  • Born: June 26, 1956 in Temple, Texas
  • Educational Background: Bachelor of science in biology from University of Houston; doctorate of medicine from Texas Tech University 
  • Missions Flown: Flew on STS-55 and STS-63.
  • Present Occupation: NASA Astronaut (Mission Specialist) 


(6)
 

Winston E. Scott (Captain, U.S. Navy): 

Current Astronaut
  • Born: August 6, 1950 in Miami, Florida
  • Educational Background: Bachelor of arts in music from Florida State University; master of science in aeronautical engineering from U.S. Naval Postgraduate School 
  • Missions Flown: Flew on STS-72. 
  • Present Occupation: NASA Astronaut (Mission Specialist) 

(7)
 

Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D.: 

Deceased
  • Born: October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. 
  • Educational Background: Bachelor of science in physics from North Carolina A&T State College; doctorate of philosophy in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
  • Missions Flown: Flew on STS 41-B and STS-51L.
  • Died: January 28, 1986, in the Challenger (STS-51L) accident. 


 

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/black_history/blackhistory.html