Guion Bluford Jr., a 1964 graduate of Penn State's aerospace engineering program and the first black astronaut to fly in space, was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on June 5, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA Television aired the ceremony live. Bluford and three others were enshrined at the June 5th ceremony, bringing the number of Astronaut Hall of Fame members to 77.
A native of Philadelphia, Bluford is a four-time space shuttle astronaut. He was a mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-8, the first night launch and landing of the space shuttle. Bluford also assisted in developing techniques for nighttime operations. He joined NASA's astronaut corps in August 1979 and logged more than 688 hours in space during his 13-year career.
Bluford is a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a Vietnam War veteran.
In addition to his bachelor's in aerospace engineering, he holds master's and doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a master of business administration from the University of Houston.