Man supposed to be 1st Black astronaut now oldest in space

Ed Dwight, 90, finally had the opportunity to live out a career milestone as an astronaut.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy selected Dwight as America’s first Black astronaut candidate. Dwight ultimately didn’t get to go into space back then because his mission never launched. Some of the excuses he was given were he wasn’t tall enough, he was Catholic, he wasn’t Black enough and he wasn’t the “model” for the Negro race. Consequently, Guion Bluford became the first Black person to go to space in 1983.

“Everybody has this thing on how angry I must’ve been, how disappointed I must’ve been,” Dwight told Blue Origin. “As I look at it philosophically, my role within the whole process was to open a whole conversation about Blacks in space. So I served a purpose, and I was very proud about it.”

Now, over 60 years later, Dwight still made history, as the oldest man to ever go to space.

“I really wanted to do this because each person that goes up there [space] all of a sudden has a different perspective on this little place here [Earth],” Dwight said. “Space can bring people together. If everyone went to space for a space mission, they’d say, ‘Oh my god. This place is workable. It’s workable. Let’s go back and make it work.”

Dwight was one of six passengers on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. The rocket launched in Texas, and went 347,000 feet above ground.

“Long time coming!” Dwight said as he got off the rocket, as shown on “TODAY.”

“I thought I didn’t need this in my life,” Dwight said, “but now I need it in my life.”

Ed Dwight was set to be the first Black astronaut in the 1960s but his mission never launched.

Now six decades later, at 90 years old, he’s made his mark in the record books aboard Blue Origin’s rocket. @KayleeHartung reports on his journey. pic.twitter.com/9GECRghuoS

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 20, 2024