Guion Bluford

Dr. Guion S. Bluford, Jr. is the president and founder of The Aerospace Technology Group (ATG), an aerospace technology and business consulting organization specializing in aviation and space-related technology development, analysis, and marketing activities. Before establishing ATG, he served as Vice President of Microgravity R&D and Operations at Northrop Grumman Corporation, overseeing all corporate microgravity research and technical development activities in support of NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise. He was also the Program Manager of the NASA Glenn Research Center's Microgravity Research, Development, and Operations Contract (MRDOC). Based in Cleveland, Ohio, he was responsible for the design, development, integration, and operational support of the NASA Fluids and Combustion Facility and associated space flight experiment hardware for the International Space Station. Prior to his tenure at Northrup Grumman, he was Vice President of the Aerospace Sector of Federal Data Corporation (FDC) and was responsible for all NASA business. He also served as the Vice President of the Engineering Services Division of NYMA Inc and Program Manager of the NASA Lewis Research Center's Scientific Engineering, Technical, and Administrative Related Services (SETAR) contract.

Before his significant roles in the corporate sector, Dr. Bluford was a NASA mission specialist and payload commander astronaut on four Space Shuttle missions. Selected in the first class of space shuttle astronauts in 1978, he was the first African American to fly in space in 1983 aboard Space Shuttle Challenger. His subsequent missions included a Spacelab flight as payload commander in 1985, a Department of Defense Strategic Defense Initiative Office flight in 1991, and a classified Department of Defense flight in 1992. He has logged over 688 hours in space and over 5,200 hours of jet flight time in ten different aircraft.

Dr. Bluford served 29 years in the United States Air Force as an Air Force tactical fighter pilot in Vietnam, instructor pilot, staff development engineer, and Branch Chief of the Aerodynamics and Airframe Branch of the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University, Masters of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston, Clear Lake, TX.

Among his numerous accolades, Dr. Bluford has been awarded the Department of Defense's Superior Service and three Meritorious Service Medals; the Air Force's Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service, Commendation, and ten Air Medals; NASA's Distinguished Service, Exceptional Service, and four Space Flight Medals; and the State of Pennsylvania's Distinguished Service Medal. Additionally, he has been bestowed with fourteen honorary doctorate degrees. An AIAA fellow, he was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997 and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.