Black History Makers: "Race" and the Space Race
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During the early 1960's, as the battle for Black civil rights raged at home, abroad, the Cold War that pitted the United States against the Soviet Union and her communist allies took on an other worldly tone as the Soviets initially took the lead in manned space exploration when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961.
Not to be outdone, President John F. Kennedy sensed the psychological lift America would receive if she met his challenge to beat the Soviets to the Moon, a feat that was accomplished in July of 1969; in the long march to that notable event, many of the astronauts that became national heroes shared two commonalities: they were white—and they were males (below).
In 1967, Air Force Major Robert Lawrence, a Chicago native who earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from Ohio State University, became the first Black person to be selected for astronaut training when he was assigned to the Manned Orbiting Laboratory project. Tragically, Maj. Lawrence was killed in a flight training accident later that year.
Maj. Robert Lawrence, standing before his F-104 aircraft circa 1967
After Maj. Lawrence’s death, it would be 16 years until Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, an engineer and graduate of Penn State, became the very first Black person to travel into outer space in 1983, as he flew on an early mission of the eventually ill fated Space Shuttle Challenger.
From left: Black Astronauts Ronald McNair, Guy Bluford, and Frederick Gregory
The second Black in space, Ronald E. McNair, graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with an engineering degree before earning a doctorate in physics from MIT. In 1978, McNair was selected to join NASA and flew his first mission in 1984. Tragically, McNair and six other astronauts were killed when the Challenger exploded minutes after take-off from Florida's Cape Canaveral (Kennedy) in January of 1986.
On May 20, 1986, Dr. McNair’s remains were laid to rest along with his fellow Challenger crew members at this grave in Arlington National Cemetery. Requiescat in Pace…
In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison made her own history when she became the first Black woman to travel into space! Jemison, a native of Decatur, Alabama, graduated from Stanford University in 1977 with a double major in chemical engineering and African and Afro-American studies before completing medical school at Cornell University. After a stint in the Peace Corps, she was selected for astronaut training by NASA and is shown below during her mission aboard Shuttle Endeavour.
Dr. Mae Jemison floating aboard Endeavour circa September of 1992
Overall, during the 50 or so years of active space exploration, 14 black men and women flew manned space missions with two, McNair and Michael Phillip Anderson, dying in the advancement of the cause (Nota Bene: Anderson died aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003). In the process, these brave Black men and women have inspired legions of young Black boys and girls to believe that their own love of science, engineering, and dreams of flying high can literally take them, too, to new heights!
Lest we forget...