Guion Bluford

  • STS -8 ( 1983)
  • STS -61- A ( 1985)
  • STS -39 (1991)
  • STS -53 (1992)

Guion Stewart " Guy " Bluford, Jr. ( born November 22, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is a former American astronaut.

Bluford received in 1964 a Bachelor in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1974 and a master's degree in 1978 and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and space technology in laser technology from the Air Force Institute of Technology. In 1987 he received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Houston.

In 1964 Bluford to the United States Air Force, where he was transferred after his pilot training soon to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. In all, he flew 144 combat missions in the Vietnam War. In July 1967 he was transferred as a pilot instructor for Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas.

Astronauts activity

Bluford was selected in January 1978 as an astronaut candidate by NASA and designed to August 1979 mission specialists.

STS -8

On August 30, 1983 Bluford flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger for the first time into space. This mission was the first flight of a space shuttle, in which both the start and landing are done at night. The cargo consisted of the Indian multipurpose Insat 1-B. Bluford thus was the first African American who took part in a space mission. However, African Ethnicity was already Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez of the Cubans, who in 1980 was flown into space on Soyuz 38.

STS -61 -A

Blufords next assignment took place on October 30, 1985 also with the space shuttle Challenger. In this mission, which is also referred to as D1 mission, the European Spacelab was carried in the hold. Here, for the first and only time flew eight astronauts simultaneously with a spaceship into space. In addition, the satellite GLOMR (Global Low Orbiting Message Relay) of the U.S. military has been suspended.

STS -39

On April 28, 1991 Bluford flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery into space. The main objective of the mission was to carry out various military experiments and the suspension of several small satellites.

STS -53

On 2 December 1992 Bluford launched by the space shuttle Discovery on its final space flight. This mission was carried out on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense with a secret payload.

Private

Guion Bluford and his wife Linda have two children.

STS-8 STS-39 STS-53 List of space shuttle missions List of human spaceflights
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