The Struggles of Early Astronaut Selection

There are two stories from the 1960s that America likes to tell about itself — the civil rights movement and the space race. We look at the brief moment when the two collided. Guest: Emily Ludolph, who covered this story for The New York Times, spoke with Ed Dwight, a former Air Force pilot who had trained to be the first black astronaut. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• President John F. Kennedy was Ed Dwight’s champion. Within weeks of the president’s assassination, Mr. Dwight’s career as a prospective astronaut ended.

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