Now ninety years old, Ed Dwight became the oldest man to have flown into space.
Sixty years ago, Dwight, a top Air Force test pilot, tried his chance to be NASA’s first African American astronaut.
He was selected in 1961 as the nation’s first black candidate for astronaut by US President John F. Kennedy. However, he was not given the opportunity to travel to space by NASA and was not chosen for a mission.
Six crew members were flown to the edge of space by the Blue Origin spacecraft, and they were then brought back to Earth by parachute.
Dwight finally completed his mission on board Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket on Sunday morning.
He claimed that “Justice,” his call sign for the flight, is a tribute to everyone who has helped him throughout the years.
“Here’s a grand opportunity at this late date to fulfill that, for self-satisfaction, yes. But more importantly, to satisfy…all the wonderful people that have showered me with love for all these years,” Dwight said.
The 90-year-old eventually pursued a very different career, becoming a businessman before becoming an artist and creating nearly 20,000 art pieces.
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