His contributions to space exploration will never be forgotten!
In 1995, Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. floated into history. As a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, he became the first Black astronaut to perform a spacewalk, an achievement that made him a pioneer not just in space exploration, but in representation, Black Enterprise reports.
“In truth, I didn’t know I was the first African American until I got back inside and I got the call that President Clinton wanted to talk to me,” Harris said. “I kind of went like, ‘What for?’”
That spacewalk, part of the STS-63 mission originally intended to rehearse docking with the Russian space station Mir, elevated Harris into the stratosphere of history-makers. But it was only one chapter in a career marked by firsts, vision, and quiet determination. Now, nearly three decades later, Harris’ groundbreaking legacy has been officially etched into the annals of space exploration.
This past May 31st, Dr. Harris was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Standing before his newly unveiled plaque and receiving his induction medal, the 65-year-old trailblazer joined the ranks of American space legends as the Hall’s 110th member. Though his fellow inductee, Peggy Whitson, the record-holder for most time in space by an American, was unable to attend, the moment was a powerful recognition of Harris’ lifelong impact.
Born in Temple, Texas, in 1956, Harris was just 13 when he watched the Apollo 11 moonwalk on TV, a moment that would shape the course of his life.
“I was old enough to go through the early 60s, the civil rights movement,” he reflected. “I could turn one channel and see some of the greatest accomplishments of human beings at that time, and turn the channel and see Blacks fighting for their right to vote or to exist, depending on what part of the country that they were in.”
He didn’t see anyone who looked like him in the astronaut corps, but rather than see that as a barrier, he saw it as a call to action. “I decided that if I didn’t see someone who looked like me I would be the first to try and go break that ceiling.”
Selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 1990, Harris first flew into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993. His historic second mission solidified his place in the stars. Now, as his legacy takes permanent form in the Hall of Fame, it continues to illuminate a path for those who dare to dream beyond the sky.
Congratulations Dr. Bernard Harris! You didn’t just make history, you became it.
Cover photo: Bernard Harris, First Black Astronaut to Perform a Spacewalk, Inducted Into U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame/Photo credit: NASA