gauging his interest in becoming the first Black astronaut. He thought it was a joke but later accepted the offer. Dwight would later call it “a political move.” “The president went to NASA ...

In 1967, Chicagoan Maj. Robert H. Lawrence Jr. became the first Black astronaut when NASA selected him to be an aerospace research pilot. And in 1992, Chicagoan and astronaut Mae Jemison became ...

Former NASA administrators, others raise concerns about dismantling of DEI for space agency that worked hard to diversify workforce.

Regarding their milestones, the first Black astronaut to travel to space was mission specialist Guion Bluford in 1983. Frederick D. Gregory was the first Black astronaut to pilot a shuttle in 1985 ...

male astronauts, NASA sought to increase the presence of qualified women and minorities within its ranks, celebrating each time the first woman or the first Black or the first Hispanic broke ...

Ed Dwight, America's first African American astronaut candidate, spoke at an event to commemorate Black Space Week in 2024 titled, "Beyond the Color Lines From Science Fiction to Science Fact," at ...