Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Texas’s Van Horn — Sixty years after being selected as America’s first Black astronaut, Ed Dwight finally entered space on Sunday, traveling with Jeff Bezos’ rocket business.

President John F. Kennedy supported Dwight as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps while he was an Air Force pilot. He was not chosen for the 1963 class, though.

During a roughly 10-minute voyage, Ed, now 90 years old, experienced a brief period of weightlessness along with five other passengers in the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed space. “It was a life-changing experience,” he said.

Dwight | Independant Image

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Soon after stepping out of the capsule, Dwight commented, “I thought I really didn’t need this in my life.” “But I am thrilled because I need it in my life right now.”

After a quick trip from West Texas, Ed set a new record for the oldest person in space, surpassing “Star Trek” star William Shatner by over two months in 2021.

It was the first personnel launch for Blue Origin in almost a full year. After a mishap in 2022 that saw the rocket crash but the experiment capsule successfully drop to the ground, the corporation was forced to ground itself. Last December, flights were restarted, but nobody was on board. Blue Origin flew space tourists for the sixth time during this mission.

Dwight | NASA Image

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Dwight, a Denver-based sculptor, was accompanied by four American and French business owners and a retired accountant. The cost of their tickets was kept a secret; the charity Space for Humanity partially funded Dwight’s seat.

Ed was one of the possible astronauts NASA was advised by the Air Force to consider. However, he was not selected for the 1963 class, which featured future Gemini and Apollo astronauts, including Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin from Apollo 11. In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first African American in space after NASA began accepting applications for Black astronauts in 1978. Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, a Cuban of African origin, was the first Black astronaut launched by the Soviet Union three years prior.

dwight – NPR Image

Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

Ed joined IBM and launched a construction company after leaving the military in 1966. In the late 1970s, he obtained a master’s degree in sculpture. Since then, he has made art his life’s work. His sculptures, which are found in monuments and memorials across the nation, are centered on Black history. His artworks have soared into space on multiple occasions.

SOURCE – (AP)