Epic 64-Satellite SpaceX Launch Will Honor 1st Black Astronaut with Canopic Jar Sculpture

The first African-American astronaut will soon get a fitting spaceflight tribute, if all goes according to plan. One of the 64 small satellites flying atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the upcoming SSO-A SmallSat Express mission carries a 24-karat-gold jar that encases a bust of Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., IEEE Spectrum reported earlier this month. 0 0 MORE Partner Series The first African-American astronaut will soon get a fitting spaceflight tribute, if all goes according to plan. One of the 64 small satellites flying atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the upcoming SSO-A SmallSat Express mission carries a 24-karat-gold jar that encases a bust of Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., IEEE Spectrum reported earlier this month. In June 1967, the U.S. Air Force selected Lawrence — who had already risen to the rank of major within that military branch — for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. More

(Source: Space.com - Nov 30)