Ed Dwight became the oldest person to go into space at the age of 90. After he had to wait for more than 60 years, Dwight finally fulfilled his wish of going to space.
In 1961, he was chosen by the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, to be the first astronaut of color to go into space. He was a test pilot that participated in the Air Force Program which was a very competitive program back then. This program was known as the Pathway for Astronauts.
However, after the assassination of the president, Ed’s dream was put on hold for the next 60 years. NASA decided to select another astronaut for the mission, and Ed Dwight missed his chance till two years ago when Blue Origin contacted him for this amazing opportunity.
This Sunday, The Blue Origin ship took him and other 5 people into space. The spacecraft took the 6-member crew to the edge of the before after parachuting them back to Earth. The experience was “This is a life-changing experience, everybody needs to do this," as Dwight explained it. He also stated, “I thought I didn't really need this in my life”.
Mission NS-25 is the seventh human flight mission organized by Blue Origin. As of this Sunday, Blue Origin has flown to space 37 people, including Ed Dwight.