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Episode details

World Service,2 mins

Why did it take so long for the US to send a black astronaut into space?

World Update

Available for over a year

The Soviet Union and the US were not only competing to get a man into space but they were also competing to get the first black man into space. A new documentary called Black in Space: Beyond the Color Barrier explores the reasons behind this and speaks to the people involved. The Soviets ultimately won that battle with a Cuban astronaut and director Laurens Grant explains why it took America so long to catch up. (Photo: Ronald McNair, Guion Bluford, Frederick Gregory Credit: NASA)

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