Tag: Ellison Onizuka

Astronaut Dick Scobee: Skilled Pilot, Humble American Hero

Astronaut Dick Scobee: Skilled Pilot, Humble American Hero

Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L was to be the 25th mission of the program. What made it special was to be lessons taught from space by a school teacher. On Jan. 28, 1986, 73 seconds after liftoff of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the crew and vehicle were lost. The commander for the flight was veteran astronaut Dick Scobee, an experienced test pilot who exhibited humility and admiration for his colleagues.

NASA Helped Kick-start Diversity in Employment Opportunities

NASA Helped Kick-start Diversity in Employment Opportunities

When John F. Kennedy was sworn in as president in 1961, he promised to reach for a “New Frontier.” Attention abroad concentrated on the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Closer to home, there was increasing unrest among those who were being left behind simply because of their race. America’s space agency soon would be thrust into the forefront of both issues.