Christopher Huie, the son of Jamaican immigrants and a mission specialist who recently took his first space flight on Unity 25 on May 25, wearing Jamaica and United States flag patches, is sharing his experience.
Before his flight, he described the experience as the completion of a journey that had its beginnings on the Caribbean island of Jamaica.
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Huie said, “As one of the first 20 black people who have gone to space, I hope that I can inspire the next generation of astronauts who look like me to set their goals high and break down the mental and institutional barriers that have held people of color back,” he said in a release from Virgin Galactic. “This is just the beginning, and I look forward to continuing to push boundaries with Virgin Galactic and shine a spotlight on the doors that commercial space travel can open for innovation.”
The Senior Manager of Flight Science at Virgin Galactic also shared:
“Looking down at our beautiful planet from space, something that so few humans have experienced, was such a humbling, awe-inspiring, and reverent experience.”
The son of an immigrant mother, Huie’s aspirations sync with most of those who come here seeking a better life. He acknowledges his mother’s effort in raising him right, and working at hospitals until she retired, to ensure he had access to opportunities she never did.
As a Jamaican American husband and father, Huie hopes to show others with backgrounds similar to his how to succeed in their lives. He wants to be a role model for people who look like him and help them understand how they can break down barriers through determination and focus.
He mentors college students as the co-founder of the Black Leaders in Aerospace Scholarship and Training (BLAST) program.
One of his life goals is to change the world in whatever way he can.
Huie earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and worked in the industry before joining Virgin Galactic in 2016 to serve as a loads and simulation engineer.
He became the world’s 19th Black astronaut.
