The new EarthRise monument near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Nassau Bay, Texas, highlights the contributions of Black pioneers in the American space program. This $125,000 monument, located at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, honors influential figures such as Charles Bolden Jr., Guion Bluford, Katherine Johnson, George Carruthers, Bernard Harris, Ed Dwight, and Robert Lawrence Jr.
The monument features eight panels surrounding a sculpture inspired by Gemini-era capsules, topped with a stained-glass canopy reminiscent of the Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula. It aims to broaden the narrative of the American space program, acknowledging contributions beyond just astronauts. Ed Dwight, notable for being the first Black pilot selected for the Air Force’s Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1961, eventually became one of the oldest people to travel to space at age 90 aboard a Blue Origin flight in 2024. Robert Lawrence Jr. was the first Black astronaut selected by the Air Force but tragically died shortly after.
In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first African American in space, coinciding with Sally Ride’s historic flight as the first American woman in space. The monument also recognizes key contributors who never left the Earth, including Katherine Johnson, whose calculations were vital for early NASA missions, and George Carruthers, who developed technology for Apollo 16.
