Ed Dwight is set to fly Sunday on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket

  • Ed Dwight, the first Black man to train to be an astronaut, will finally get his chance to go to space at the age of 90
  • He will be the oldest person to fly to space, slightly edging out William Shatner
  • Dwight will be one of six people scheduled to board the latest Blue Origin flight
  • The flight will last approximately 11 minutes and reach just past the boundary of space
  • Dwight’s journey to space is a long-awaited vindication of his pioneering role as a Black astronaut candidate

Ed Dwight, the first Black man to train to be an astronaut decades ago, never actually made it to space. An astronaut candidate in the early 1960s, he became a celebrity in the Black community, landing on the covers of Jet and Ebony magazines as a trailblazing pilot. But the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ultimately never selected him. He gave up the dream and later became a renowned sculptor focusing on Black history. On Sunday, at the age of 90, Dwight will finally get his chance to go to space. He will be the oldest person to fly to space, slightly edging out “Star Trek” star William Shatner, who flew in 2021 on a flight with Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos. Dwight will be one of six people scheduled to board the latest Blue Origin flight, the first with humans aboard in nearly two years. The roughly 11-minute flight will zoom just past the Karman Line, considered by many to be the boundary of space. Crew members will experience weightlessness and view the curvature of the Earth before descending back to the ground. This is an absolutely fantastic bookend to the space era of his life,” said his son, Chris Dwight. “It’s about time.”·

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides a detailed and factual account of Ed Dwight’s journey from being the first Black man to train as an astronaut to finally getting the opportunity to go to space at the age of 90. It includes historical context, quotes from relevant individuals, and information about his career as a sculptor. The article is well-researched and presents the information objectively without sensationalism or bias.·
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides a detailed account of Ed Dwight’s journey from being the first Black man to train as an astronaut to finally getting his chance to go to space at the age of 90. It includes historical context, personal anecdotes, and reactions from individuals connected to Dwight. The article stays on topic, supports its claims with examples, and offers insights into Dwight’s life and achievements.·
Public Companies: Blue Origin (Private)
Key People: Ed Dwight (Would-Be Astronaut), Jeff Bezos (Owner of Blue Origin), William Shatner (Actor), Antonio Peronace (Executive Director of Space for Humanity), Charles Bolden Jr. (First Black NASA Administrator), Leland Melvin (Retired NASA Astronaut), Steven Moss (Co-author of ‘We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program’), Richard Paul (Co-author of ‘We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program’), Chuck Yeager (First Person to Break the Sound Barrier), Robert Lawrence (First Black Man Selected for the Space Program), Guion Bluford (First Black Person to Go to Space), Mae Jemison (First Black Woman in Space), Bernard Harris (First Black Astronaut to Walk in Space), Lisa CortĂ©s (Co-director of ‘The Space Race’ documentary), Joseph De Avila (Author)

Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No
Financial Rating Justification: The article does not pertain to financial topics or events that impact financial markets or companies. It is a human interest story about Ed Dwight, the first Black man to train to be an astronaut, and his upcoming flight to space at the age of 90.·
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no mention of any extreme event in the article. The focus is on Ed Dwight, the first Black man to train to be an astronaut, and his upcoming space flight at the age of 90.·

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