Black History Month is coming to a close, but there’s still plenty to celebrate! Victor Glover is set to be the first Black astronaut to travel around the moon. But if you think that’s cool — wait till you hear about the rest of these space pioneers!
Victor Glover is leading the fist moon mission since the Apollo. He’s also the first African American set to travel around the moon.
Guion Bluford is a former NASA astronaut and the first African American to head to space!
Mae C. Jemison is a former NASA astronaut and the first African American woman to go to space in 1992.
Stephanie Wilson is a NASA astronaut who holds the distinction of being the second African American woman to go into space.
Michael Anderson was a remarkable NASA astronaut in the 1990s. He passed away in 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia crashed killing everyone on board.
Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. was an Air Force officer and the first Black astronaut in our nation’s history.
Ronald McNair was a Black NASA astronaut and physicist. He passed away when the Challenger exploded.
Charles Bolden Jr. is a former NASA astronaut who was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the administrator of NASA. Fun fact, he was the first person to have his voice broadcasted on Mars.
Jeanette Epps was selected to be a NASA astronaut in 2009. She went on to work for Ford Motors Company and the CIA.
Leland Melvin, who spoke to The Root earlier this month, was a NASA astronaut who served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis mission as a mission specialist. He also served as NASA Associate Administrator under President Barack Obama.
Frederick D. Gregory was a Black NASA astronaut and former NASA Deputy Administrator as well as NASA Acting Administrator under President George W. Bush.
Joan E. Higginbotham was a Black NASA astronaut in the 1990s and early 2000s. She was the third African American woman to travel to space!
Winston Scott is a retired NASA astronaut. He served as a mission specialist on a 1996 mission and completed multiple space walks.
Bernard Harris is a former NASA astronaut who served on two separate space missions!
Dr. Yvonne Darlene Cagle is a former NASA astronaut and Air Force flight surgeon. She is currently one of the preeminent scientists at NASA developing technology for commercial use and Stanford University’s lead astronaut science liaison.
Ronald L. Curbeam is another Black astronaut you should know. Like Bernard Harris, Curbeam has flown on two missions and gotten to take some pretty cool spacewalks.
Benjamin Alvin Drew is another trailblazing Black astronaut who flew on missions in 2007 and 2011.
Bobby Satcher is another name you should know! Satcher became a NASA astronaut in 2004 and flew as a mission specialist in 2009! He flew on the smae mission as Leland Melvin.
