First black astronaut Robert Lawrence broke barriers but died before spaceflight
On a chilly December morning in 1967, Major Robert Henry LawrenceJr., the first Black astronaut selected by the US military, climbed into a sleek F104 jet at Edwards Air Force Base in California to demonstrate a key landing manoeuvre.Minutes later, his space dream ended abruptly. His aircraft crashed, and his legacy went up in smoke and tears rather than in orbit. He was only thirty-two.advertisementDespite breaking racial grounds as the first African-American ever on a manned space programme, selected on June 30, 1967, he never got to fly into space.
But his story became a beacon for ambition, breaking both racial and professional barriers aloft.ROOTS IN CHICAGO AND THE MAKING OF A PILOTSCHOLARGrowing up in Chicago, Lawrence showed early promise. Born on 2 October 1935, he graduated high school at just sixteen, finishing among the top of his class. His spare hours saw him building model planes and mastering chess.When he entered Bradley University, he carried that spark into Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), a programme designed to train college students to become commissioned officers in the US Armed Forces.
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
advertisementBy twenty, he held a degree in chemistry, had earned a commission as an Air Force officer, and became a pilot-instructor flying T33 jets in Germany.But his curiosity did not stop; it demanded more. So he returned to school -- this time at Ohio State University, where in 1965 he earned a PhD in physical chemistry.BREAKING COLOUR BARRIERS IN THE SPACE PROGRAMMEBy 1967, he had racked up over 2,500 flight hours, mostly in jets, and flew Lockheed F104 Starfighters to test maneuvers like the 'flare' -- essential for spacecraft landings. It wasn't long before NASA took notice.His achievements earned him selection for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) programme on June 30, 1967 -- the first African American in any US astronaut corps.In an era when race walls still loomed, he answered with quiet resolve: 'just another step in civil rights normal progression,' he'd said.His selection included astronaut training, but sadly, no mission would ever take him to space.
Manned Orbit Laboratory (MOL) astronauts (Left to Right: Robert T. Herres, USAF; Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., USAF; Dr. Donald H. Peterson, USAF; and James A. Abrahamson, USAF) (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
THE FATAL TRAINING FLIGHTOn December 8, 1967, he was back at Edwards Air Force Base, teaching a trainee how to perform the steepdescent 'flare': a crucial glide manoeuvre for returning spacecraft.They flew in an F104 Starfighter. During a steep-descent drill with a trainee, the jet flared too late.The plane struck the runway hard, caught fire, and rolled. The pilot escaped. Lawrence did not.He became the only MOL astronaut to die in training. He left behind a wife, Barbara, and their young son, Tracey.A LEGACY THAT FOUND LIGHT AFTER DARKThe Air Force quietly omitted his name from the original Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial, citing programme definitions. But advocates -- his wife Barbara, son Tracey, and historians -- persisted. In 1997, his name was finally included.His mission patch flew aboard STS-86, and today the Cygnus spacecraft SS Robert H Lawrence honours him.
At the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex, the name of U.S. Air Foce Maj. Robert Lawrence is one of those included on the Space Mirror Memorial which honors those lost in efforts to explore space. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
advertisementAFTERMATH AND RECOGNITIONFor years, his story lay hidden -- NASA did not immediately honour his name on the official Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial, citing Air Force definitions.Campaigns from his loved ones and space historians changed that. In 1997, his name was finally etched in stone.Later honors included having his mission patch flown aboard STS86 in 1997 and inspiring the naming of SS Robert H Lawrence, a 2020 Cygnus spacecraft.WHY HIS STORY STILL MATTERS TODAYRobert Henry Lawrence Jr. never reached orbit, but he broke the most rigid barrier -- race in the astronaut corps. He showed the world that being black and brilliant were not contradictions. He combined science, skill, and steadfast courage.And though his life ended before lift-off, his legacy helped launch a more inclusive journey beyond Earth. It inspired a pathway for generations of astronauts -- reminding us that breakthroughs can begin in classrooms, laboratories, and sometimes in tragic accidents on runways.- Ends
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On a chilly December morning in 1967, Major Robert Henry LawrenceJr., the first Black astronaut selected by the US military, climbed into a sleek F104 jet at Edwards Air Force Base in California to demonstrate a key landing later, his space dream ended abruptly. His aircraft crashed, and his legacy went up in smoke and tears rather than in orbit. He was only breaking racial grounds as the first African-American ever on a manned space programme, selected on June 30, 1967, he never got to fly into space. But his story became a beacon for ambition, breaking both racial and professional barriers IN CHICAGO AND THE MAKING OF A PILOTSCHOLARGrowing up in Chicago, Lawrence showed early promise. Born on 2 October 1935, he graduated high school at just sixteen, finishing among the top of his class. His spare hours saw him building model planes and mastering he entered Bradley University, he carried that spark into Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), a programme designed to train college students to become commissioned officers in the US Armed Forces. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) advertisementBy twenty, he held a degree in chemistry, had earned a commission as an Air Force officer, and became a pilot-instructor flying T33 jets in his curiosity did not stop; it demanded more. So he returned to school -- this time at Ohio State University, where in 1965 he earned a PhD in physical COLOUR BARRIERS IN THE SPACE PROGRAMMEBy 1967, he had racked up over 2,500 flight hours, mostly in jets, and flew Lockheed F104 Starfighters to test maneuvers like the 'flare' -- essential for spacecraft landings. It wasn't long before NASA took achievements earned him selection for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) programme on June 30, 1967 -- the first African American in any US astronaut an era when race walls still loomed, he answered with quiet resolve: 'just another step in civil rights normal progression,' he'd selection included astronaut training, but sadly, no mission would ever take him to space. Manned Orbit Laboratory (MOL) astronauts (Left to Right: Robert T. Herres, USAF; Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., USAF; Dr. Donald H. Peterson, USAF; and James A. Abrahamson, USAF) (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) THE FATAL TRAINING FLIGHTOn December 8, 1967, he was back at Edwards Air Force Base, teaching a trainee how to perform the steepdescent 'flare': a crucial glide manoeuvre for returning flew in an F104 Starfighter. During a steep-descent drill with a trainee, the jet flared too plane struck the runway hard, caught fire, and rolled. The pilot escaped. Lawrence did became the only MOL astronaut to die in training. He left behind a wife, Barbara, and their young son, Tracey.A LEGACY THAT FOUND LIGHT AFTER DARKThe Air Force quietly omitted his name from the original Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial, citing programme definitions. But advocates -- his wife Barbara, son Tracey, and historians -- persisted. In 1997, his name was finally mission patch flew aboard STS-86, and today the Cygnus spacecraft SS Robert H Lawrence honours him. At the Kennedy Space Center's Visitor Complex, the name of U.S. Air Foce Maj. Robert Lawrence is one of those included on the Space Mirror Memorial which honors those lost in efforts to explore space. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) advertisementAFTERMATH AND RECOGNITIONFor years, his story lay hidden -- NASA did not immediately honour his name on the official Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial, citing Air Force from his loved ones and space historians changed that. In 1997, his name was finally etched in honors included having his mission patch flown aboard STS86 in 1997 and inspiring the naming of SS Robert H Lawrence, a 2020 Cygnus HIS STORY STILL MATTERS TODAYRobert Henry Lawrence Jr. never reached orbit, but he broke the most rigid barrier -- race in the astronaut corps. He showed the world that being black and brilliant were not contradictions. He combined science, skill, and steadfast though his life ended before lift-off, his legacy helped launch a more inclusive journey beyond Earth. It inspired a pathway for generations of astronauts -- reminding us that breakthroughs can begin in classrooms, laboratories, and sometimes in tragic accidents on runways.- Ends
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