Ed Dwight, America’s First Black Astronaut Trainee, Reaches Space at 90

Ed Dwight, the pioneering African American who came close to becoming America’s first Black astronaut six decades ago, achieved his long-awaited journey into space at the age of 90. On Sunday, May 19, Dwight, along with five crewmates, soared aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. The liftoff from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site was the company’s first passenger flight in nearly two years. This approximately 10-minute suborbital flight etched Dwight’s name in history as the oldest person to reach space, surpassing Star Trek actor William Shatner, who held the record at age 90 until Dwight’s journey. Dwight’s fellow passengers included venture capitalist Mason Angel, French craft brewery founder Sylvain Chiron, entrepreneur Kenneth Hess, aviator Gopi Thotakura, and retired accountant Carol Schaller. Together, they experienced a brief but transformative journey as the rocket ascended over 347,000 feet, crossing the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. After a few moments of weightlessness, the New Shepard booster landed smoothly near the launch site, with the crew capsule following under two of its three parachutes. Emerging from the capsule, Dwight expressed his elation, shaking his fists in triumph. “Fantastic! A life-changing experience. Everyone needs to do this!” he exclaimed. Reflecting on...