The First African-Americans in the Space Program and NASA’s role in Civil Rights

Two of the biggest and most historic events to take place in the 20th Century were NASA’s Space Program and the Civil Rights movement. It just happens that the quests for both racial equality and landing a man on the moon also intersected with each other, with one helping the other accomplish its goals.  Today we talk with Richard Paul and Steven Moss, authors of “And We Could Not Fail: The First African-Americans in the Space Program and NASA’s role in Civil Rights.” It’s a forthcoming book that chronicles the integration of NASA and how the space agency’s hiring of the first African-American engineers in the 1960’s also boosted the fight for Civil rights in the United States. ---- Other stories we look at ---- Genetic researchers believe that they have finally solved the puzzle as to which group of people were the first to arrive and settle in America. ---- Landmines, hidden from sight, maim and kill and remain long after conflicts end. A man from Columbia may have come up with a unique way to let people know that landmines are nearby – it’s a landmine detector that’s built into the insoles of shoes. ---- Many fast moving animals use their tails to help them maintain balance while they run. A young South African scientist has successfully used that concept to stabilize a fast moving robotic vehicle. - Do you like to play the Flappy Bird game on your smartphone and want to know why it was recently pulled off the market? We’ll have a report that will explain why. ---- As polar temperatures keep the northern hemisphere in a deep freeze, a newly published study finds that all that cold air may actually be good for your health.