Northrop Grumman Names Next Spacecraft After First African-American Astronaut

It is traditional for Northrop Grumman to name its Cygnus spacecraft after people who played significant roles in the history of human spaceflight. For its upcoming Cygnus spacecraft set to launch next month, Northrop Grumman is honoring Major Robert H. Lawrence, the very first African American Astronaut. “Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-13 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.,” Northrop Grumman said. “Major Lawrence was selected in honor of his prominent place in history as the first African-American astronaut.”

The launch for NG-13 is targeted for Feb. 9, 2020.

Maj. Robert H. Lawrence Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois on Oct. 2, 1935. He graduated from high school at the age of 16 and went on to earn his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bradley University at age 20. He soon became a highly accomplished pilot and Air Force officer, accumulating 2,500 flight hours including 2,000 in jets. He also earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from Ohio University in 1965, which made him the only selected Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) astronaut with a doctorate degree.

MOL was a joint program between the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office that envisioned a series of mini space stations in low polar Earth orbit.

Unfortunately, while serving as an instructor for another pilot practicing techniques that were later used in the Space Shuttle program, Lawrence died in an F-104 Starfighter supersonic jet crash on Dec. 8, 1967.

The MOL program was, eventually, canceled by the Nixon Administration in 1969, and seven of the younger pilots under the MOL program were transferred to NASA where all of them flew on the Space Shuttle in the 1980s. Had Lawrence survived the crash, he certainly would have been transferred to NASA as well.

However, due to the secrecy of the MOL program, Lawrence remained largely unknown for many years until the 1990s when the barriers over the definition of the word “astronaut” were overcome and Lawrence finally received the recognition he deserves.

[SOURCE: IBTIMES]

Baltimore courthouse to be named after late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings

The city of Baltimore will formally name a courthouse after the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings in the first half of 2020.

Democratic Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young unveiled renderings Friday of bronze plaques that will be affixed to the exterior of Courthouse East of the Baltimore Circuit Court. One includes an image and biography of the congressman, and the other reads “Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse.”

"Elijah was a son of Baltimore. He was proud of Baltimore," his widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, said during the unveiling ceremony. "His career as a legal professional started in this courthouse."

Young spokesman James Bentley said the plaques will be installed in the spring or early summer after the city receives approval from the U.S. Department of Interior because the courthouse is a federal building. It was originally a federal courthouse, and still contains a post office.

[SOURCE: Baltimore Sun]

Mike Bloomberg's Economic Justice for Plan Black America: The Greenwood Initative

Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg (Yes, the stop and frisk guy) has released a plan he claims will help African Americans achieve economic (but you notice not social) justice.

He calls that plan the Greenwood Initiative. The plan is named after the section of Tulsa Oklahoma once known as Black wall Street.

Read the plan here: THE GREENWOOD INITIATIVE: ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR BLACK AMERICA

Rutgers University will name its first black president

Rutgers University is set to name its first black president, Jonathan Holloway, provost of Northwestern University and a former Stanford football player, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Holloway will be named president on Tuesday, pending formal approval by the university’s Board of Governors, according to four sources who have knowledge of the selection but were not authorized to speak on the record.

According to his official Northwestern University biography, Holloway received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, where he played on the football team alongside Sen. Cory Booker. He received his Ph. D. in history from Yale University, whose faculty he joined in 1999. Before being named provost of Northwestern in August 2017, he served as the Dean of Yale College.

[Source: NJ.COM]

MLK Book: The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr

If you love the history and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King then the book, The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. must be in your library.

The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Created as a living memorial to the philosophies and ideas of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this essential volume includes more than 120 quotations from the greatest civil rights leader’s speeches, sermons, and writings selected and introduced by Coretta Scott King.

BUY THE BOOK