Robert Henry Lawrence

1935–1967 (age 32)

Physicist/Astronaut

Biography

Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. achieved a singular milestone as the first African American chosen for the astronaut corps, building on a distinguished career in the United States Air Force and a passion for advancing the study of aerodynamics.

His training concluded unexpectedly in 1967, yet the promise he carried for future explorers endures, and those who visit Graceland Cemetery honor him for the trail he blazed for scientists and pilots who followed.

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