"Been There...Done That"

Undoubtedly, some of the bravest human beings in the "whole wide world", space travelers, are preparing yet again to shakedown new space shuttle safety and repair methods, while carrying out its design plans - in this case, completion of the International Space Station, "Alpha".

Throughout the history of humanity's exploration of space, including the history of human space stations, there has always been and there still remains, an African-American presence. That presence ranges from research and development, to engineering and testing, including, of course, those rare and honorable cutting-edge technological rides to and from space.

From the first manned space station concepts to today's high-tech achievement of delivering and assembling space station segments in orbit, African-American astronauts have indeed "Been There...Done That", as goes the latest theme for my copyrighted, "The Black Flight Collection:Mission Insignia of African-Americans In Space". Even during the famed era of "The Right Stuff" astronauts, Air Force Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., the first African-American astronaut, was assigned on June 6, 1967 to Group 3 of five groups of two-man crews slated to fly 30-day missions aboard a military space station. The program name for this early-on Pentagon project was called The Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). Yeah,...all the way back then!!!

And wouldn't you know it, astronauts had mission insignia back then, too, just as they do today. As you view this renewed-themed, 2006 Memorial Day debut display - "Been There...Done That", note first, the upright triangle of mission insignia, then, the corresponding inverted triangle of space stations. Major Lawrence's MOL insignia is featured at the top of the Insignia Triangle. An artist's concept of Maj. Lawrence's mission in orbit is directly below his insignia. In the lower left corner of the Insignia Triangle is Air Force Lt. Colonel Michael P. Anderson's STS-89 mission insignia; He was aboard space shuttle Atlantis as it docked with the Russian space station "Mir", making Lt. Col. Anderson the only African-American ever to have..."Been There...!" An actual view of Atlantis easing in on "Mir" is directly above the STS-89 insignia. On the lower right corner of the Insignia Triangle is that of Navy Lieutenant Commander Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. aboard STS-98, to which he was assigned triple spacewalking tasks of attaching, plugging in and powering up America's first major scientific component to the ISS "Alpha", known as The Destiny Module. Lt. Cmdr. Curbeam thus became the first African-American to board both the ISS and the Destiny Laboratory. Directly above the STS-98 insignia is an actual mission view from orbiter Endeavour as it eases away from the ISS after having flawlessly installed the Destiny component, also seen in the view.

The historical "footprints" of African-Americans in humanity's journeys through space, displayed as "The Black Flight Collection: Mission Insignia of African-Americans In Space", are the border mission insignia display, clockwise starting top center, in chronological order.

The new theme, "Been There...Done That", reflects plans to close out an era in space shuttle activity by finishing the ISS, servicing the (African-American shuttle pilot-delivered) Hubble Space Telescope (HST), building the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and moving on, back to the moon and outward to Mars.

On this Memorial Day Weekend, 2006, we can remember soldiers who have fallen in action, astronauts lost, and ALL brave people who've given their lives in the performance of their duties. Here, is a webpage for any to follow brave African-American crewmembers of humanity's space travelers in action, remembering them now, as well as their past deeds.

The Photo Gallery is intended to kindle interest, scientific curiousity and current African-American history, by posting some of NASA's choicest and rarest photos (with some user-friendly captions) featuring each upcoming shuttle crew with an African-American astronaut in past or present training or on their actual missions.

I encourage the curious to "search engine" the names, activities and events of these African-Americans involved in space exploration.

Within the next decade and a half, African-American astronauts are sure to be able to add, as the new Black Flight Collection theme reflects, "Been There...Done That", ...including walking on the moon!!!

"Welcome aboard the shuttle "Black Flight - 2006". Close and lock your visors,....initiate oxygen flow,.....T-minus...the Photo Gallery...and counting...10...9...8...main engine start...6.."