Guy Bluford
First African American to Fly into Space
Dr. Guy Bluford spent 15 years with NASA as one of its elite astronauts. Selected to be a part of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts in 1978, Bluford became the first African-American to fly in space in 1983. He also flew on a Spacelab flight in 1985 and Department of Defense missions in…
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Full Bio
Dr. Guy Bluford spent 15 years with NASA as one of its elite astronauts. Selected to be a part of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts in 1978, Bluford became the first African-American to fly in space in 1983. He also flew on a Spacelab flight in 1985 and Department of Defense missions in 1991 and 1992. Upon his retirement from NASA in 1993, he logged over 688 hours in space and was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997.
Today, Bluford is actively involved in a very successful business career. He serves as President of The Aerospace Technology Group (ATG), an aerospace technology and business consulting organization specializing in aviation and space related technology development, analysis, and marketing related activities. Prior to joining ATG, Bluford served as Vice President of Microgravity Research & Development and Operations for Northrop Grumman Corporation, a global aerospace, defense, and information technology company. He also served as Program Manager of the NASA Glenn Research Center, Microgravity Research, Development and Operations Contract, where he was responsible for the design, development, integration and operational support of the NASA Fluids and Combustion Facility and space flight experiment hardware for the International Space Station.
Dr. Bluford has also held senior management positions with both Federal Data Corporation and NYMA, Inc. A former fighter pilot in Vietnam, he served 29 years in the United States Air Force as a tactical fighter pilot, instructor pilot, staff development engineer and Branch Chief of the Aerodynamics and Airframe Branch of the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. He has over 5,200 hours of jet flight time in 10 different aircraft.
A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Bluford holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering, as well as a master of business administration. In addition, he has earned 13 honorary doctorate degrees from universities in nine states throughout the country. He conducts a very active civic life, serving on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Space Foundation, the NASA Alumni League, the Western Reserve Historical Society of Cleveland, the Great Lakes Science Center and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Aerospace Corporation.
Bluford was born in 1942. He is married and resides with his wife in Ohio. They have two grown children.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Space Shuttle Program
Future of the Space Program and International Space Station
Career Opportunities in Science and Engineering
Minorities in Science and Engineering
College and University Commencement Speech
Videos
Guy Bluford: Reaching for the Stars - Conversations from Penn State
Fred has a conversation with American pioneer and NASA Astronaut Guion Bluford
News
Testimonials
We really enjoyed Dr. Bluford. He was so nice and laid back, even though I put him through a very rigorous schedule on Tuesday. I have to say that he is one of the best speakers I have ever worked with. Additionally, the students and the community loved him.
Cedar Valley College
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