圭恩·布鲁福德，第一位进入太空的非裔美国人

In this image from Sept. 5, 1983, Guion “Guy” Bluford checks out the sample pump on the continuous flow electrophoresis system (CFES) experiment in the middeck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger.

Forty years ago today, he launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, becoming the first African American to fly in space. Bluford was a member of NASA’s “Thirty-Five New Guys” – the 1978 astronaut class, which had the first African American, the first Asian American, and the first women astronauts.

During the STS-8 mission, the crew deployed the Indian National Satellite INSAT-1B, operated the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System with the Payload Flight Test Article, operated the CFES, conducted medical measurements to understand biophysiological effects of spaceflight, and activated four “Getaway Special” canisters. STS-8 completed 98 orbits of the Earth in 145 hours before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Sept. 5, 1983.

Image Credit: NASA

在这张1983年9月5日的照片中，圭恩·布鲁福德在地球轨道航天飞机挑战者号的中甲板上检查连续流电泳系统（CFES）实验的样本泵。

40年前的今天，他从NASA位于佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射升空，成为第一位在太空飞行的非裔美国人。布鲁福德是NASA“三十五名新人”的一员，这是1978年的宇航员班，其中有第一位非洲裔美国人，第一位亚裔美国人，第一位女宇航员。

在STS-8任务期间，机组人员部署了印度国家卫星INSAT-1B，操作了加拿大制造的带有有效载荷飞行试验件的远程操纵系统，操作了CFES，进行了医学测量以了解太空飞行的生物生理效应，并激活了四个“逃逸专用”罐。1983年9月5日，STS-8在145小时内绕地球运行了98圈，最终在加州爱德华兹空军基地着陆。

影像来源：NASA