A Tribute to National Aeronautics and Space Administration Minority Astronauts (Illustrated)

United States Air Force major Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., was the first African American chosen by NASA to be an astronaut. He was a senior USAF pilot, accumulating well over 2,500 flight hours – 2,000 of which was in jets.
His research was instrumental in proving the steep-descent gliding concept that would later be employed with the Space Shuttle.