Sunday, February 22, 2009

Tuskegee Airman Breaks New Barriers – In Space

Col. Ralph Smith, president of the Western Region of the Tuskegee Airmen, left, and Le Roy Gillead. - Doug Graham Wall St. Journal

By Andy Pasztor

LOS ANGELES – Four months shy of his 90th birthday, Le Roy Gillead is about to become an improbable player in the latest space race.

XCOR Aerospace, a startup based in Mojave, Ca., is offering Mr, Gillead, a World War II aviator who was a member of the fabled Tuskegee Airmen, a free trip to briefly experience the thrill of zero gravity. XCOR made the announcement that Mr. Gillead would be among its first passengers during a ceremony Saturday honoring the Tuskegee group of pioneering African American aviators.

Read the story HERE.

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