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Who was the first African American in space?

Guion S. Bluford Jr. (1942—), became the first African American to fly in space during the space shuttle Challenger mission STS-8 of August 30 to September 5, 1983. Bluford, who holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, made a second shuttle flight aboard Challenger on mission STS-61-A/Spacelab Dl of October 30 to November 6, 1985.

Mae C. Jemison became the first African American woman in space on September 12, 1992. She flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour mission Spacelab-J.

Source: Hawthorne, Douglas B. Men and Women of Space, 1992, pp. 75-78, 357-59.

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