The Exhibit

The African American Pioneers in Space Traveling Exhibit

The McNair Achievement Programs and the APEX Museum collaborated to create an extensive traveling exhibition on the contributions of African Americans in NASA’S space program and to inspire interest in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) related-careers The African American Pioneers in Space Traveling Exhibit will help individuals, particularly students, understand and appreciate the history of African Americans space pioneers of the past, present and into the future. The Exhibit provides a conduit for students to visualize and hear exciting stories of ordinary people who chose extraordinary careers as astronauts, scientists and engineers. Many of the astronauts started out with dreams just like most young people. Some once aspired to become musicians, a professional dancer, and one actually became a professional football player.

The Exhibit is very timely in that it coincides with President Barack Obama’s recent appointment of an African American, former astronaut Major General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., as the twelfth
Administrator (CEO) of NASA.