Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate President John F. Kennedy selected in 1961, is finally set to journey to space at age 90. Meet Ed Dwight Born in 1933 in Kansas City, Kansas, Dwight’s early career began with his service as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.  His selection for the elite Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) in 1961 allowed him to break racial barriers in space exploration.  Despite completing the program, Dwight was not selected for NASA’s Astronaut Corps.  However, this did not deter him as he transitioned