MyBlack^® Career

N.J. students meet first African-American space walker at NJIT

Source: NJ.com

NEWARK — When middle school students gathered at New Jersey Institute of Technology today to meet first ever African-American space-walker, Dr. Bernard Harris Jr., they asked some very important questions about gravity, temperature, space travel and one more practical question.

"What is it like to go to the bathroom in space?" asked a camper.

Harris, apparently used to such questions, answered with scientific accuracy and a sense of humor. His detailed answer involved an intricate "airplane-like toilet" and a lot of suction.

Urban middle school students from New Jersey and New York are attending NJIT’s fourth year hosting ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp. On his second space shuttle flight, on Feb. 9, 1995, Harris became the first African-American to perform extra-vehicular activity, known as a space walk. Harris is the founder of the summer camp, part of the academic program of the Harris Foundation.

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