#bernardharris

[rsonee]

On February 9: Feb. 9, 1944 - Novelist Alice Walker was born in Eatonton, Ga. Feb. 9, 1952 - Author Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man wins the National Book Award. Feb. 9, 1971 - Leroy "Satchel" Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Feb. 9, 1995 - Bernard Harris, African-American astronaut, takes space walk. #bernardharris #satchelpaige #blackhistory #BlackHistoryMonth #americanhistory https://www.instagram.com/p/B8WTpm7Ayxr/?igshid=rmw44yswgowl

[glam-uh]

Day. 9 - Bernard Anthony Harris Jr. Born: June 26, 1956 in Temple, Texas Highlight: The first African American to walk in space. At the age of thirteen, Bernard Harris watched the first landing on the moon, and knew at that moment he wanted to become an astronaut. Graduating from Sam Houston High School in 1974, Harris decided he wanted to be a medical doctor and attended the University of Houston, where he earned his B.S. degree in biology in 1978, and the Texas Tech University Health Science Center of Medicine, where he received his M.D. degree in 1982. Never forgetting his aspirations to become an astronaut, Harris followed a career path that would enable him to realize this dream. Upon completing his residency, Harris pursued research opportunities at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, and later the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, specifically taking up projects that would appeal to the interests of the astronaut selection committee. After his first application to the NASA Astronaut Corps. was declined, Harris reapplied and was invited to join in 1990. In July 1991, Harris would become an astronaut and qualify for assignment as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. His first mission would be in 1993, on board flight Columbia. In February of 1995, Harris would embark on his second space mission as the Payload Commander on STS-63. This mission would be the first flight of the new joint Russian-American Space Program. During this flight, Harris would become the first African American to walk in space on February 9, 1995. After his departure from NASA in April of 1996, Harris served as Vice President of SPACEHAB, Inc., an innovative space commercialization company, where he directed the company's space science business. In 1998, he founded The Harris Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is "to invest in community-based initiatives to support education, health and wealth.” Currently Harris is Pres. and Chief Executive Officer of Vesalius Ventures, Inc., a venture capital accelerator, that invests in early stage companies in Medical Informatics and Technology. #Day9 #BlackHistoryMonthTribute #2018 #BernardHarris

[thederntruth]

During Bernard Harris's 18 year career at #NASA, he was apart of many 'firsts'. He completed two lower orbit missions(#STS55 on #Columbia & #STS63 on #Discovery), logging 438 hours. Selected in the Class of 1990, he is the 1st to conduct a telemedicine conference from space, the first African American to spacewalk (approx 4.5 hrs), and was apart of the first Russian-American Space Program flight. #BernardHarris #TheDernTruth #AfroAstronony #20BlackAstronauts #BlackHistoryMonth