Ed Dwight - Finally Made It!
 

A feelgood story to cap a rather less than feelgood backstory...
Capt Ed Dwight - a black cum laude Aerospace Engineering degree holder, USAF Captain and test pilot who was selected for astronaut training with NASA on the insistence of JFK that a black candidate be included has eventually, at age 90 made it into 'space' - or rather what passes for space in these days of commercial sub-orbital lobs. Following nomination and a good deal of publicity he was subsequently dropped from the astronaut list for reasons unexplained but understandably wreathed in rumour and innuendo.
All the same, this talented and personable chap was blasted up there via a Blue Origiin launch a day or so ago and returned to terra firma intact.

No matter what schenanigans might or might not have taken place back in the Mercury/Gemini days he got there in the end.

imho a very pleasing result.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-69041446

I did read somewhere why Ed didn't make the cut; as I recall, Chuck Yeager had insisted that if he came last in the class of 12 trainee test pilots, then the other 11 should all be accepted as well, but I think in the event none of them were? Glad he got up there in the end!

Bob Lawrence may well have joined NASA after the USAF MOL project was cancelled but sadly he was killed in an F-104 training accident at Edwards; many of his fellows became Astronauts on the Shuttle, Crippen, Overmyer, etc.