Sky Heroes: African-American Astronauts

Those who’ve traveled to space and one special trainee.

Sky Heroes: African-American Astronauts - The Space Shuttle Atlantis returned to earth Thursday morning, ending NASA's 30-year space shuttle program. Astronauts on this trip delivered spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station, an internationally developed research facility and the largest space station ever constructed. Though not always recognized, 20 African-Americans have been "selected," or suggested by the military, accepted by NASA and titled astronauts by the space administration. Fourteen of the Black astronauts have visited space. In light of the final space shuttle's mission, BET.com salutes them all.(Photo: AP Photo/Pierre Du Charme, Pool) 

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Sky Heroes: African-American Astronauts - The Space Shuttle Atlantis returned to earth Thursday morning, ending NASA's 30-year space shuttle program. Astronauts on this trip delivered spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station, an internationally developed research facility and the largest space station ever constructed. Though not always recognized, 20 African-Americans have been "selected," or suggested by the military, accepted by NASA and titled astronauts by the space administration. Fourteen of the Black astronauts have visited space. In light of the final space shuttle's mission, BET.com salutes them all.(Photo: AP Photo/Pierre Du Charme, Pool) 

Victor J. Glover (U.S. Navy) - Victor J. Glover was selected as one of NASA's newest crew of  astronaut trainees in 2013. He holds advanced degrees from the Air University and Naval Postgraduate School. He is one of eight who was chosen from a pool of more than 6,000 candidates. He will receive technical training at space centers and remote locations around the globe to prepare for missions to low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars.  (Photo: Courtesy NASA)

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Victor J. Glover (U.S. Navy) - Victor J. Glover was selected as one of NASA's newest crew of  astronaut trainees in 2013. He holds advanced degrees from the Air University and Naval Postgraduate School. He is one of eight who was chosen from a pool of more than 6,000 candidates. He will receive technical training at space centers and remote locations around the globe to prepare for missions to low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars.  (Photo: Courtesy NASA)

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 Maj. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (U.S. Air Force, Deceased) - Major Lawrence earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Ohio State University in 1965. While in college he served as a Cadet Commander for the Air Force in the ROTC and at the age of 21 he was designated as a U.S. Air Force Pilot. In 1967 he became the first Black astronaut but was killed the same year in the crash of an F-104 Starfighter.(Photo: US Airforce)

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Mae Carol Jemison, M.D. - Dr. Jemison has a background in engineering and medical research. She was the first African-American female astronaut in Space. Her technical assignments at NASA include launch support activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and she was also the science mission specialist on a mission between the United States and Japan in 1992.

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Col. Frederick Drew Gregory (U.S. Air Force, Retired) - Col. Gregory graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964. He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978 and he has served as a lead spacecraft communicator, chief of operational safety at NASA headquarters and spacecraft commander. He has logged over 455 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr. (U.S. Air Force, Retired) - Col. Bluford earned a Master of Science degree with distinction in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1974 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in aerospace engineering with a minor in laser physics in 1978. He became an astronaut in August 1979 and flew his first mission aboard the Challenger, launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 30, 1983. (Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr. (U.S. Air Force, Retired) - Col. Bluford earned a Master of Science degree with distinction in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1974 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in aerospace engineering with a minor in laser physics in 1978. He became an astronaut in August 1979 and flew his first mission aboard the Challenger, launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 30, 1983. (Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Bernard A. Harris Jr., M.D. - Dr. Harris and became an astronaut in 1991. He served as a clinical scientist and flight surgeon and has logged more than 438 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Bernard A. Harris Jr., M.D. - Dr. Harris and became an astronaut in 1991. He served as a clinical scientist and flight surgeon and has logged more than 438 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (U.S. Marines, Retired) - Col. Gregory graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964. He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978 and he has served as a lead spacecraft communicator, chief of operational safety at NASA headquarters and spacecraft commander. He has logged over 455 hours in space.

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Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (U.S. Marines, Retired) - Col. Gregory graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1964. He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978 and he has served as a lead spacecraft communicator, chief of operational safety at NASA headquarters and spacecraft commander. He has logged over 455 hours in space.

Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D. (Deceased) - Dr. McNair flew his first mission on space-shuttle STS 41-B from Kennedy Space Center in February 1984. He died on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D. (Deceased) - Dr. McNair flew his first mission on space-shuttle STS 41-B from Kennedy Space Center in February 1984. He died on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Lt. Col. Michael Phillip Anderson (U.S. Air Force, Deceased) - Lt. Col. Anderson logged over 593 hours in space. He was qualified as a missions specialist for NASA. He was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, just to name a few honors. He died in 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia perished 16 minutes before the scheduled landing.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Lt. Col. Michael Phillip Anderson (U.S. Air Force, Deceased) - Lt. Col. Anderson logged over 593 hours in space. He was qualified as a missions specialist for NASA. He was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, just to name a few honors. He died in 2003 when the space shuttle Columbia perished 16 minutes before the scheduled landing.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Stephanie D. Wilson - Stephanie Wilson graduated from Harvard in 1988 and attended graduate school at the University of Texas. Her research focused on the control and modeling of large, flexible space structures. She was selected by NASA in April 1996 and has logged more than 42 days in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Stephanie D. Wilson - Stephanie Wilson graduated from Harvard in 1988 and attended graduate school at the University of Texas. Her research focused on the control and modeling of large, flexible space structures. She was selected by NASA in April 1996 and has logged more than 42 days in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Joan E. Higginbotham - Joan Higginbotham began her career at NASA in 1987 as a payload electrical engineer. She was the lead for orbiter experiments on the Space Shuttle Columbia. She participated in 53 space shuttle launches during her nine-year tenure at Kennedy Space Center.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Joan E. Higginbotham - Joan Higginbotham began her career at NASA in 1987 as a payload electrical engineer. She was the lead for orbiter experiments on the Space Shuttle Columbia. She participated in 53 space shuttle launches during her nine-year tenure at Kennedy Space Center.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Winston Scott   - United States Navy captain and former NASA astronaut(Photo: Nasa)

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Capt. Winston E. Scott (U.S. Navy, Retired)  - Capt. Scott is a former NASA astronaut. He served as a mission specialist on space-shuttle STS-72 in 1996 and space-shuttle STS-87 in 1997, and has logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including three spacewalks. He is currently the dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Capt. Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (U.S. Navy, Retired)  - Capt. Curbeam graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a veteran of two space flights.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Capt. Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (U.S. Navy, Retired)  - Capt. Curbeam graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a veteran of two space flights.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. (U.S. Air Force, Retired) - Col. Drew was selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000. From most of 2009 he served as director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. He has logged more than 612 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Col. Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. (U.S. Air Force, Retired) - Col. Drew was selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000. From most of 2009 he served as director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. He has logged more than 612 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Capt. Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (U.S. Navy, Retired) - Capt. Curbeam graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a veteran of two space flights.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Capt. Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (U.S. Navy, Retired) - Capt. Curbeam graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and a degree of aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He is a veteran of two space flights.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

Leland D. Melvin - Leland Martin was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round of the 1986 NFL college draft. When the NFL didn't work out, however, he put his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry to work in the Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center in 1989. He completed a Master of Science degree in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia in 1991. He is now a veteran of two space flights and has logged over 565 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)

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Leland D. Melvin - Leland Martin was chosen by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round of the 1986 NFL college draft. When the NFL didn't work out, however, he put his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry to work in the Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center in 1989. He completed a Master of Science degree in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia in 1991. He is now a veteran of two space flights and has logged over 565 hours in space.(Photo: www.nasa.gov)