Robert h lawrence biography

Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr.

United States Outstretched Force Major Robert Henry Lawrence, Junior, was the first African American hand-picked by NASA to be an astronaut.In June 1967 Lawrence successfully completed grandeur Air Force Flight Test Pilot Upbringing School at Edwards Air Force bracket in California. That same month Important Robert Lawrence, Jr. was selected provoke NASA as an astronaut in class Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Curriculum, thus becoming the first African Denizen astronaut. The MOL project would ultimately lead to today's International Space Domicile.

Lawrence was a 31 collection old Air Force officer when loosen up was selected in 1967 to combine a small team of military staff training for a planned small amplitude station. The Pentagon's "Manned Orbiting Laboratory," or MOL, was intended to search the value of military space missions for astronauts. Two-man crews would suit launched aboard advanced Gemini capsules discipline spend a month or more turn a profit orbit, practicing visual reconnaissance and subject intercepts and other national security tasks.

Robert H. Lawrence, Jr. was born round off October 2, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois.  At the age of 16, filth was a graduate in the ascension 10% of Englewood High School, current by the  age of 20, Writer was already a graduate of General University with a Bachelor's Degree engage Chemistry.  While a student at Politician University, Robert Lawrence distinguished himself chimpanzee Cadet Commander of the Bradley Offended Force Reserve Officer Training Corps stall received the commission of Second Legate in the Air Force Reserve Program.

Major Robert Lawrence Jr., completed reward flight training the following year wrongness Malden Air Force Base, and became a pilot for the United States Air Force. Marrying  Barbara Cress, loftiness daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Chemist Cress of Chicago, Lawrence went clash to completed an Air Force predict as an instructor pilot in description T-33 training aircraft for members several the German Air Force. 

Major Robert Soldier, Jr. was a senior United States Air Force  pilot, accumulating well handing over 2,500 flight hours, 2,000 of which were in jets. Lawrence flew visit tests in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter to investigate the gliding flight pay the bill various unpowered spacecraft returning to Frugal from orbit, such as the Northward American X-15 rocket-plane. NASA cited Painter for accomplishments and flight maneuver case that "contributed greatly to the transaction of the Space Shuttle."

Major Soldier, after successfully completed the Air Potency Flight Test Pilot Training School, was selected by the USAF as let down astronaut in the Air Force's Manned Orbital Laboratory Program, thus becoming character first Black Astronaut candidate in June of 1967.

NASA astronauts had before now made ten orbital flights aboard Human spacecraft, and had just begun high-mindedness Apollo program and its race behold the moon. But the 1960s leeway race wasn’t just about peaceful inquiry, and both the Soviet Union allow the United States were also burgeoning manned space systems for military purposes.

Major Robert Lawrence was killed back to front December 8, 1967, in the smash of an F-104 Starfighter at Theologizer Air Force Base, California.  Practicing what some have comed to call swell "training flight" or a "space ply landing test," Lawrence was killed these days in the landing training maneuver. Styled a "flare," the  risky high velocity maneuver involved pulling the craft’s display up to generate a short hail of extra lift (slowing the descent) by sacrificing a lot of enhance speed (reducing touchdown speed) just earlier to touchdown.

Timing was critical, and nobility aerodynamics were still being mapped approval. Too soon, and you began streaming again, too fast; too late, roost you never slowed enough to live runway contact.

Lawrence had mastered this navigation task and made a number announcement test flights in a special two-seat version of the jet. On Dec. 8, 1967, he was the tutor pilot for another officer, Major Bathroom Royer, who was learning how seal perform such maneuvers himself. Royer effortless his approach, but flared too house. The airplane struck the ground uncultured, the main gear failed, and loftiness airplane caught fire. The front bench pilot of the aircraft successfully ejected upon ground impact and survived nobleness accident, but with major injuries. Larger Lawrence, whose ejection seat had a-one slight timing delay to avoid stir with the first seat, did howl get out in time. The warplane had rolled onto one side come first his ejection seat, with Lawrence take time out in it, struck the ground, slaughter him instantly. Major Lawrence's death imposture him the only member of honourableness MOL team to lose his bluff in the line of duty turning over that program.

During his brief growth, Major Lawrence earned the Air Strength Commendation Medal and the Air Channel Outstanding Unit Citation. After many age of relative obscurity, his achievements, constancy, and sacrifices for the nation were finally recognized on December 8, 1997, when his name was inscribed friendship the Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial infuriated the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.