Guion Bluford

Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, in which capacity he became the first African American to go to space. While assigned to NASA, he remained a USAF officer rising to the rank of colonel. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Orbiter Challenger on the mission STS-8, he became the first African American to fly in space. He is also the first African American to return to space for a second, third, and fourth time. He is the first African American to be awarded NASA's coveted Gold Astronaut Pin and the United States Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings. He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997, the U. S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019.