Since the first African American surpassed Earth’s stratosphere and traveled to space in 1942, Black people have been a part of out-of-this-world processes launched in the USA. Whether serving as the brains behind the operation, to sitting in the pilot’s seat on space missions, to personally walking among the stars, these are the Black astronauts, astrophysicists, and astronomical scientists that have contributed to the exploration of space and expanded our knowledge of the cosmos.
The first African-American in space, Guion “Guy” Bluford is being inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this June, along with three other astronauts.