Explorers Meet Space Explorer Uncategorized by Sonya Bernard-Hollins - February 5, 2024February 5, 20240 KALAMAZOO (MICH.)- Before the 1960s, space flight was the figment of Hollywood movie producers’ imagination. Could humans visit, let alone live, in outer space? The successful moon landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 made that dream more of a reality. Merze Tate wanted to experience it for herself. The world traveler was one of more than 90,000 people worldwide to secure a reservation card for Pan Am’s First Moon Flights Club. However, Tate died in 1996, five years after Pan Am went bankrupt. What would that opportunity have looked like for Tate? It may have looked like the dream of space flight that came true for Dr. Sian Proctor. Explorers pose with astronaut Sian Proctor after an interview with the space history-maker. Copyright – Merze Tate Explorers The Explorers met Dr. Proctor during a Black History Month speakers series hosted by the City of Portage at the Air Zoo. Nearly 200 space and history enthusiasts of all ages hung on every word the enthusiastic civilian astronaut shared of her three days floating in Earth’s orbit at more than 71,000 miles an hour. Proctor, a community college professor and geoscientist, earned the opportunity to serve on the four-crew SpaceX flight in 2021. Her inspirational poetry and vibrant art were some of her talents that made her stand out among hundreds of other flight candidates. Proctor also signed copies of her book, Space2inspire: The Art of Inspiration. Explorers meet space explorer Sian Proctor at the Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan. Copyright- Merze Tate Explorers Had she lived into the 21st Century, Merze Tate may have seen her dreams of space flight come to life. Copyright – Merze Tate Explorers (Do not use without permission) This historic flight made her the first African American woman to pilot a spacecraft, the first African American commercial astronaut, and the first African American to paint in space. Merze Tate was the first African American to earn a bachelor’s degree in teaching from Western Michigan University, the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard, the first African American Fulbright Scholar in India, an inventor, and so much more. Had Tate lived to enjoy the technology of the 21st Century, there is no doubt that she would have competed (possibly with Proctor) for a seat on SpaceX. Look for the upcoming article by the Explorers in our next Girls Can! Magazine and their video interview with Dr. Proctor on our Merze Tate Explorers YouTube Channel.
