NASA will soon celebrate the contributions and achievements of its African American astronauts on the big screen.
The space agency recently announced that its new documentary that features the achievement of African American astronauts, "The Color of Space," would premiere on the newly-made holiday, June 19.
The date was chosen as it marks the end of slavery in Texas and the US almost 157 years ago.
The 'Color of Space' Documentary Details
NASA mentioned in its announcement that "The Color of Space" is an inspirational NASA-original documentary that tells the stories, contributions, and achievements of African Americans astronauts who are determined to reach the stars.
The documentary will also feature a "powerful and thought-provoking conversation" between seven current and former African American astronauts that NASA selected to become part of its astronaut corps and train for missions in space.
The seven current astronauts include Stephanie Wilson, Victor Glover, and Jeannette Epps. Meanwhile, the retired astronauts' group has Leland Melvin, Bernard Harris, Robert Curbeam, and Bobby Satcher.
NASA said these astronauts would speak about their journeys and motivations in a panel hosted by Vanessa Wyche, NASA's Johnson Space Center's director and the first African American woman to lead a NASA center.
The panel was originally held at Space Center Houston on March 25, with it being the astronauts' first time to be assembled for an official NASA event.
Aside from the panel between the 14 African American astronauts, the documentary will also showcase recordings of a conversation between the astronauts and middle school students, particularly those enrolled in historically African American colleges and universities.
During these conversations, the astronauts talked to the students about the "unique path" achieved by African American explorers within NASA, personal stories of hope and resilience, and advice to the future generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers.
Additionally, the documentary will show rare archival footage and interviews with Guion "Guy" Bluford, Charlie Bolden, former astronauts Alvin Drew and Joan Higginbotham, and Ed Dwight.
Bluford is the first African American in space, while Bolden is the first African American NASA administrator. Dwight, meanwhile, is America's first African American astronaut candidate. Furthermore, Drew is the last African American to fly on board a Space Shuttle, and Higginbotham is the third African American woman to go into space.
NASA mentioned that the contributions made by African Americans could be traced back to even before the agency's founding, such as those from the Hidden Figures. Despite their contributions, it took the first African American, Bluford, to break the "color barrier" to hold the title of astronaut.
Wyche hopes the documentary will inspire all of NASA's future engineers, scientists, and explorers to "reach the stars" as it works to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon under the Artemis missions.
'The Color of Space' Availability And Viewing
NASA's "The Color of Space" with be a 50-minute documentary and will premiere on June 19, more commonly known as Juneteenth. The date was proclaimed a federal holiday by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021.
The documentary is available to watch at noon EDT on NASA TV, the NASA app, NASA social media channels, and NASA's official website.
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