Sian Proctor: African-American Doctor Becomes First Black Woman to Pilot a Spacecraft
- Dr Sian Proctor is the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft after SpaceX's Inspiration4 Mission launched on Wednesday
- She made history as the fourth Black woman to travel into space and the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft
- Dr Proctor served as a mission pilot on Inspiration4, which launched into space, Wednesday, September 15
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Dr Sian Proctor has become the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft after SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Mission successfully launched into space on Wednesday, September 15.
Proctor, a geoscientist, artist, and science communicator, was one of four people in the first-ever all-civilian spaceflight, serving as a mission pilot on Inspiration4.
She made history as the fourth Black woman to travel into space and the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft with the three-day trip circling the earth, the New York Times reports.
Source: UGC
Proctor, an African-American from Guam, had her interest in space at an early age due to her father being an engineer for NASA.
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Education
After receiving her Master's degree in Geology and PhD in Science Education, Proctor embarked on her career as a geoscience professor for South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona where she taught for over 20 years.
Proctor also serves as vice-president of education at Star Harbor Space Academy.
Contribution to mission
Proctor told The Space Channel she contributed to the mission by bringing in the ''drone study and the whole idea is with that suit I was wearing when you go into these moons and Mars simulations.''
This mission helped raise awareness and funds for St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital for pediatric cancer, with a target of over $200 million for the hospital that does not charge families for treatment.
Although the preparation for the launch was intense for the entire crew, with rigorous training exercises, she was excited to be able to fulfil her childhood dream.
Inspiration4 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Wednesday, September 15.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
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