Lawrence Robert Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, One child. Born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Crash of F-104B while practicing zoom landings.

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: USAF MOL Group 3 - 1967. Deceased Entered space service: 30 June 1967. Left space service: 1967.

America's first astronaut of African-American heritage, he was born in Chicago Illinois. He received a BS in chemistry from Bradley University in 1956, and a doctorate in nuclear chemistry from Ohio State University in 1965. He was a Major in the USAF when selected for MOL Group 3 in 1967. On December 8, 1967, while practicing zoom landings in an F-104B with Major Harvey Royer, the F-104 came they were flying came in too low and hit the runway. Royer ejected and survived, but Lawrence was killed. He left behind a wife and one son.

30 June 1967 - USAF MOL Astronaut Training Group 3 selected.. The group was selected to provide crews for flights of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, a classified military manned space station.. Qualifications: Qualified military pilot; graduate of Aerospace Research Pilot School; serving military officer; US citizen by birth..