Six decades ago, John F. Kennedy's White House chose Ed Dwight to train and become the nation's first Black astronaut.
Dwight, with some reticence, accepted the calling. But the young Kansas City native at the time was ultimately passed over for the role.
Now, at the age of 90, Dwight is getting his due.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin announced on Thursday its six-member crew that will embark on the company's 25th mission to space aboard the New Shepard rocket.
The crew includes Mason Angel, founder of Industrious Ventures VC firm; Sylvain Chiron, the founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc brewing company; Kenneth Hess, a pioneering software engineer; Carol Schaller, a retired CPA; Gopi Thotakura, a pilot; and Dwight, who will be getting the opportunity to fly to space more than 60 years after he was first selected to be trained as an astronaut.
According to Blue Origin, Dwight's seat is sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase opportunities to travel to space. A launch date has not been announced.
A Blue Origin spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Born in segregated Kansas in 1933, Dwight was an Air Force pilot and the only Black officer who was able to meet the criteria needed to become an astronaut, according to PBS.
Dwight, who was in his late 20s at the time, was first hesitant to take on the role after he was selected by the Kennedy Administration in 1961.
"They told me, 'They will make hamburger out of you, Dwight,'" he recalled when asking his superior officers for advice.
The pilot was ultimately never chosen for NASA's program. Dwight soon resigned from the Air Force and became a sculptor after receiving his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Denver, PBS reported.
The public nearly forgot Dwight's role as the first Black astronaut candidate until National Geographic released a documentary in 2023, "The Space Race," recognizing some of the first Black astronauts in US history.
A Space for Humanity spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
