American Decades
Bluford, Guion S., Jr. 1942-
ASTRONAUT
Education.
Guion Stewar t Bluford Jr. was the first U.S. astronaut of African American descent. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 22 November 1942, Bluford earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering in 1964 from Penn State University and his Ph.D. from the Air Force Institute of Technology, in the same field, in 1978. While working toward his doctorate he engaged a broad spectrum of aerospace engineering problems and did research in laser physics. His dissertation was titled "A Numerical Solution of Supersonic and Hypersonic Viscous Flow Fields Around Thin Planar Delta Wings."
Air Force Pilot in Vietnam.
Beginning in 1967 Bluford served as an Air Force pilot with the 557 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Vietnam. During his service in Vietnam he flew 144 combat missions and served with distinction. Bluford received the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Vietnam...
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1980's Science and Technology
