Supposed to be the first black astronaut in space, at age 90 he gets to go

Ed Dwight, then a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force pilot, was tapped by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to be the first Black astronaut candidate in the United States. After four years of rigorous training, the man nicknamed “Kennedy’s boy” was dropped from the space program. Now, with Ed Dwight having celebrated his 90th birthday, he’s getting the chance to see space for himself. He’ll be among the six-person crew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight.