Black History, Into Space: Guion 'Guy' Bluford, Jr., Ronald Erwin McNair and Frederick Gregory

GUION "GUY" BLUFORD, JR. (1942-present)

A retired United States Air Force colonel.  he was the first black astronaut into space as a member of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew in 1983.

He took part in four space shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992.

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RONALD ERWIN McNAIR  (1950-1986)

Ronald Erwin McNair was the second black person into space and sadly, was on the ill-fated  Space Shuttle Challenger and met his death January 28, 1986.

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FREDERICK D. GREGORY (1941-present)

A veteran of 3 space shuttle missions.

Deaths: NASA's Mission Control Guy, Chris Kraft

From the July 24, Chicago Sun-Times obituaries "Founder of NASA's Mission Control" by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer.

CHRIS KRAFT (1924-2019)

"Behind America's late leap into orbit and triumphant small step on the moon was the agile mind and guts of steel of Chris Kraft, making split-second decisions that propelled the nation into once unimaginable heights.

"Mr. Kraft, the creator and longtime leader of NASA's Mission Control died Monday (July 22) in Houston, just two days after the 50th anniversary of what was his and NASA's crowning achievement:  Apollo 11's moon landing.  He was 95."

He founded Mission Control and created the job of flight director, which he held, describing it as being like am orchestra conductor making sure all the parts ran well.  He served as flight director for every one-man Mercury flights and seven of the two-man Gemini flights and helped design the Apollo missions that took 12 Americans to the moon from 1969 to 1972.

He was later director of the Johnson Space Center until 1982, overseeing the beginning of the space shuttle era.

Challenger, Columbia Wreckage on Display for First Time

From the August 2, 2015, Yahoo! News/AP by Maurice Dunn.

For the first time, NASA has a new exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center showing one piece from each shuttle as well as reminders of the 14 astronauts who died in their explosions.

The intent of the exhibit is to show how they lived rather than died.

Among the personal items:  Challenger commander Francis "Dick" Scobee's leather helmet he wore from the StarJuster biplane he and his wife used to fly and his blue "TFNG" t-shirt from the astronaut class of 1979 which was nicknamed the "Thirty-Five New Guys."

Columbia commander Rick Husband's scuffed cowboy boots and well-worn open to Proverbs will also be shown.

Each of the 14 astronauts will have an individual display case.

The Columbia blew p Feb. 1, 2003, and 42 tons of debris was collected.

The Challenger blew up January 28, 1986.