Former NASA astronaut Dr.Bernard Harris (69) became the first
Black man to walk in space.
His mission contributes to a burgeoning collaboration between
the United States and Russia in space exploration.
Bernard Harris stepped out of the space shuttle Discovery in
orbit on February 9, 1995.
He first embarked on the unlikely journey toward his historic
spacewalk as a child, inspired by stargazing in his home state
of Texas.
Harris described his determination to become an astronaut as
a "big leap of faith" at a time when the Apollo 11 moon landing
shared headlines with the struggle for civil rights. "The main
challenge was the color of my skin."
