America’s 1st Black Astronaut Candidate, Ed Dwight Becomes Oldest Person In Space

Ed Dwight, the United States’ first Black astronaut candidate, became the oldest person to go to space on Sunday as Blue Origin launched its New Shepard NS-25 spacecraft and completed its first human flight since 2022. The 90-year-old Dwight took his first trip to space more than 60 decades after President John F. Kennedy appointed him in 1961 to the elite Aerospace Research Pilot School — the Air Force program from which NASA astronauts were chosen. Despite being recommended by the Air Force, Dwight was not chosen for the NASA astronaut corps in the aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination. New Shepard NS-25 was Blue Origin’s seventh human flight to space. The flight made Dwight the oldest person to make the journey to space and back. “Long time coming,” Dwight said as he emerged from the capsule Sunday, pumping his fist in the air after landing in the remote Texas desert “It was absolutely terrific. I thought I really didn’t need this in my life but now I need it in my life. I am ecstatic,” Dwight said. “It was a life-changing experience. Everybody needs to do this.”

Source: ABC News  9news