BLM Spotlight
A Forgotten History:
Remembering Astronaut Maj. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.
Maj. Lawrence was the first African-
American astronaut, as well as a
major contributor to developing the
landing techniques used on the Space
Shuttle, yet he remains relatively
unknown.
Guion Bluford was the first African-
American to go to space, an
achievement made in 1983 on the
STS-8 mission in which he flew on the
Challenger Space Shuttle. However,
he was not the first African-American
astronaut. That achievement was made
by Maj. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.
Maj. Lawrence was an accomplished
United States Air Force pilot. He had
over 2500 flight hours, a Bachelor’s in
Chemistry, and a Doctorate in Physical
Chemistry. In June 1967, he was selected
for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory
programme, making him the first
African-American astronaut.
The St Petersburg Times reported on his
selection for the programme in the 1 July
1967 broadsheet. They described him as
“an articulate scientist who has the only
PhD among the four [pilots].”
In response to a question on whether his
appointment marked a historic step in
improved race relations, Maj. Lawrence
was quoted as saying, “No, I don’t think
so. It’s another one of those things
that we look forward to in civil rights
– normal progression”. He added, “A
large number of problems faced by other
Negroes, I have faced. Perhaps I have
been more fortunate than the others in
opportunities that came my way.”
One of Lawrence’s colleagues, astronaut
Maj. Donald Peterson, had been asked
whether he had any issues working with
Maj. Lawrence due to his race, to which
he was reported as responding, “Not in
my case, I can’t speak for all the people
of Mississippi, but I personally don’t
feel that way.”
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory
programme – MOL – was publicly
announced to have a purpose of
discovering the military usefulness of
putting humans into space. Although, in
actuality, it was a classified programme,
intended to capture images of
adversaries during the Cold War.
Barbara Cress Lawrence, Maj.
Lawrence’s wife, was quoted saying,
“MOL was particularly exciting for Bob
because being in the program offered
him an opportunity to do the two things
he loved most - experimental science
and flying.”
Tragically, Maj. Lawrence was killed in a
jet crash six months later, in December
1967. He was conducting flight training
for another pilot, Maj. Harvey Royer,
who was learning the steep-descent
glide technique.
The landing went wrong and the
underbelly of the Lockheed F-104
Starfighter jet, they were in, caught fire.
Shayler David, author of Disasters and
Accidents in Manned Spaceflight, wrote,
“The landing gear collapsed on contact
and the canopy shattered. For more than
200 feet the fuselage dragged on the
runway before taking to the air again
and continuing another 1,800 feet.”
Both Maj. Royer and Maj. Lawrence
ejected from the jet. Maj. Royer
survived. Maj. Lawrence died instantly.
His parachute having never opened.
According to NASA History, “Because
of his untimely death and the relative
secrecy surrounding the MOL
programme, Lawrence’s name remained
largely unknown for many years.”
Former NASA Administrator and
astronaut, Charles Bolden, credited
Maj. Lawrence for his contribution in
developing the critical Space Shuttle
landing technique called the ‘flare’.
The MOL programme was cancelled in
1969, but it is fairly certain that had
Maj. Lawrence lived, he would have
transferred to NASA and flown on the
Space Shuttle, as did the rest of his
colleagues, including Maj. Peterson,
that were under the age of 35.
In the February 1984 issue of Ebony,
a letter from Lawrence’s wife was
published, condemning the magazine
for incorrectly stating, in their
November 1983 issue, that Maj.
Lawrence piloted the Lockheed F-104
Starfighter jet, in the crash that he died
in.
In her letter she wrote, “I am
requesting that Ebony magazine issue
a retraction of the misstatements of
facts regarding Maj. Lawrence’s death.
As Maj. Lawrence was the first Black-
American to be selected as an astronaut,
it is vital that his memory and the
special contributions that he made be
preserved as a role model for Black
youth unmarred by any suggestions of
incompetence.”
Last January, to mark the celebration
of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday,
Northrop Grumman announced that
their NG-13 Cygnus spacecraft would
be named in honour of Maj. Lawrence.
It was christened the S.S. Robert H.
Lawrence.
Northrop Grumman stated in a
biography they published on Lawrence
that, “It is the company’s tradition to
name each Cygnus after an individual
who has played a pivotal role in human
spaceflight.”
The S.S. Robert H. Lawrence launched
from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the
15th of February carrying supplies to
be delivered to the International Space
Station.
On the 50th anniversary of Maj.
Lawrence’s death, NASA and the
Astronauts Memorial Foundation
held a memorial tribute in which he
was honoured for his contribution in
advancing space exploration.
by Randi Morse
portrait: Defense.gov
image: Pixabay
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