How astronaut Leland Melvin is using the lessons he learned in space back here at home

By Khalilah Brown-Dean,

James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, Catie Talarski

Published December 8, 2021 at 12:48 PM EST

1 of 3 — Leland Melvin with his dogs, Jake and Scout. "I snuck them into NASA to get this picture," Melvin says.

Leland Melvin with his dogs, Jake and Scout. "I snuck them into NASA to get this picture," Melvin says.

Courtesy of Leland Melvin

2 of 3 — Ernie Wright stands near the James Webb Space Telescope mirrors as they sit just outside the testing chamber in the Xray calibration facility at MSFC

Ernie Wright stands near the James Webb Space Telescope mirrors as they sit just outside the testing chamber in the Xray calibration facility at MSFC

Davis Higginbotham

3 of 3 — Leland Melvin floats inside the International Space Station alongside astronauts Stanley Love (left) and Rex Walheim, (right) during Melvin's first mission to space.

Leland Melvin floats inside the International Space Station alongside astronauts Stanley Love (left) and Rex Walheim, (right) during Melvin's first mission to space.

This week, ten candidates were selected to join NASA's latest class of Astronauts. They will join the Artemis program, which expects to send humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The new cohort will be one of NASA’s most diverse ever.

On today's episode, we hear from two Black Americans who helped pave the way for the next generation of NASA astronauts and administrators.

GUESTS:

Leland Melvin - Engineer, former NFL Wide Receiver, and retired NASA Astronaut. He’s also the author of Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances
Greg Robinson - Director for the James Webb Space Telescope Program in the NASA Science Mission Directorate

Click here to learn more about Leland Melvin's journey in space. And check out NASA's website to find more information about the James Webb Space Telescope launch.

This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski.