First African American in Space, Guy Bluford !!
In 1983, Guy Bluford, a NASA astronaut, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African American to journey into space. Join us in listening to Bluford's firsthand accounts, witnessing footage from his Space Shuttle missions, and commemorating the pivotal moments that forever reshaped the landscape of space exploration.
Bluford's inaugural mission, known as STS-8, commenced its journey from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 30, 1983. This mission marked the third voyage of the Challenger orbiter and distinguished itself by featuring both a night launch and a night landing—a groundbreaking achievement. Throughout the course of this mission, the STS-8 crew accomplished a series of remarkable tasks, including the deployment of the Indian National Satellite (INSAT-1B), the operation of the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) alongside the Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA), the utilization of the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) with live cell samples, the conduction of medical experiments to gain insights into the biophysiological effects of spaceflight, and the activation of four "Getaway Special" canisters. STS-8 completed an impressive 98 orbits around Earth during its 145-hour mission before concluding with a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on September 5, 1983.
More on Guy Bluford: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/11054/gu...
Link to download this video:
https://images.nasa.gov/details/Guy%2...
Producer: Jori Kates
Editor: Sonnet Apple
Music: Universal Production Music
Credit: NASA