Lawrence, Robert H. Jr.

Impact on the world

Selected by the U.S. Air Force in 1967 for the classified Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, becoming the first African American ever chosen as an astronaut by any national space program; he was killed later that same year in the crash of an F-104 Starfighter during a test flight, dying before he ever had the chance to reach space himself, though his training and contributions are credited with helping shape the early Space Shuttle program he never lived to see.

Life & background

Born in Chicago, Lawrence graduated from Bradley University at age 20 with a chemistry degree before becoming an Air Force officer and pilot, eventually logging roughly 2,500 flight hours across 2,000 jet sorties. He earned a PhD in physical chemistry from Ohio State University in 1965, and two years later became the only astronaut with a doctorate chosen for the Air Force's clandestine Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, a Cold War-era reconnaissance mission, making him the first African American ever selected as an astronaut by any national space program. He never reached space: on December 8, 1967, he was killed as a backseat passenger while testing an F-104 Starfighter that crashed during a routine flight. Decades later, historians and former colleagues credited Lawrence's training and technical contributions with helping shape the early development of what became the Space Shuttle program, though he did not live to see any of its astronauts, including Guion Bluford and Mae Jemison, follow the path he had been the first to open.

Sources

1. Biography.com (10 Black Pioneers in Aviation Who Broke Barriers); NASA (Johnson Space Center biography); Encyclopædia Britannica