A biography of the first African American astronaut, Guion Bluford, Jr., who flew aboard the Challenger space shuttle in 1983.

Tierra Haynes' highly-anticipated children's book, The Adventures of Us: Getting to Know Guion Bluford Jr., chronicles the exciting adventures of three brothers who use their vivid imaginations to meet the first African American to go to space. Although their journey takes them on a moonwalk through a monumental time in history, these three brothers end up gaining so much more, learning the importance of brotherhood, perseverance, and imagination. Through The Adventures of Us, Haynes strives to shine a bright light on exemplary Black figures of American history. After all, Black history is American history, and this special series ensures representation in various areas of excellence.

Rare photography and stunning artworks illustrate the history of NASA’s Space Shuttle program from 1981 to 2011, providing an unprecedented look at the missions, equipment, and astronauts.

A biography of Guy Bluford, the first black American in space, part of the crew of the space shuttle "Challenger" on its August 1983 flight.

Briefly describes the lives and accomplishments of five African-American astronauts: Guion Bluford, Charles Bolden, Frederick Gregory, Bernard Harris, and Mae Jemison.

American Astronautical Society Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award As NASA prepared for the launch of Apollo 11 in July 1969, many African American leaders protested the billions of dollars used to fund “space joyrides” rather than help tackle poverty, inequality, and discrimination at home. This volume examines such tensions as well as the ways in which NASA’s goal of space exploration aligned with the cause of racial equality. It provides new insights into the complex relationship between the space program and the civil rights movement in the Jim Crow South and abroad.  Essays explore how thousands of jobs created during the space race offered new opportunities for minorities in places like Huntsville, Alabama, while at the same time segregation at NASA’s satellite tracking station in South Africa led to that facility’s closure. Other topics include black skepticism toward NASA’s framing of space exploration as “for the benefit of all mankind,” NASA’s track record in hiring women and minorities, and the efforts of black activists to increase minority access to education that would lead to greater participation in the space program. The volume also addresses how to best find and preserve archival evidence of African American contributions that are missing from narratives of space exploration.  NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement offers important lessons from history as today’s activists grapple with the distance between social movements like Black Lives Matter and scientific ambitions such as NASA’s mission to Mars.  Contributors: P.J. Blount | Jonathan Coopersmith | Matthew L. Downs | Eric Fenrich | Cathleen Lewis | Cyrus Mody | David S. Molina | Brian C. Odom | Brenda Plummer | Christina K. Roberts | Keith Snedegar | Stephen P. Waring | Margaret A. Weitekamp  Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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