In 1961, Ed Dwight had aspirations of becoming the first Black astronaut to venture into space. However, he was unable to fulfill this dream. Now, at the age of 90, Dwight will have the opportunity to finally embark on a space journey as part of Blue Origin’s upcoming mission to explore Earth’s atmosphere.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy handpicked Dwight to participate in an Air Force training program that served as a gateway to NASA’s Astronaut Corps.
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After completing the program in 1963, the Air Force suggested that he join the corps. However, he was not chosen and decided to pursue a private life in 1966.
Dwight expressed that he experienced discrimination from his peers during the training.
Dwight expressed his experience with his fellow White peers and the leadership’s reaction to him being appointed to a position at Edwards. He explained, “My peers, the other guys that were astronaut candidates and the leadership was just horrified at the idea of my coming down to Edwards and the president appointing me to the position.”
His dream of going to space had been put on hold for over 60 years. However, Dwight has recently been chosen as one of the six civilians who will embark on a journey to the edge of space on the upcoming Blue Origin flight in June.
Dwight will now have him tied up.
During the space trip, civilians are taken approximately 62 miles away from Earth, entering the atmosphere for a brief period of weightlessness. This unique experience provides them with a breathtaking view of both space and our planet.
The upcoming Blue Origin flight will include five other individuals besides Jeff Bezos. These individuals are venture capitalist Mason Angel, French brewery founder Sylvain Chiron, software engineer Kenneth L. Hess, retired CPA Carol Schaller, and pilot and aviator Gopi Thotakura.
