…into outer space

AME CHURCH CELEBRATES ASTRONAUT STEPANIE WILSON’S NASA LIFT- OFF

The first and oldest institution in this country continuously run by persons of African descent, the church of Richard Allen and Rosa Parks – who sparked the most notable civil rights protests in America’s history, is also the church of NASA mission specialist, Stephanie Wilson, 39, who lives in Clear Lake, Texas. She is one of seven astronauts scheduled to blast off aboard space shuttle Discovery tentatively on July 1. It will be the first mission for Wilson, who will be the second black female to make the trip, after Mae C. Jemison, whose mission was in 1992.

Wilson, who holds a bachelor's degree in engineering science from Harvard University and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas, has worked for NASA since 1996. She said she has no fears about her voyage. "We've trained pretty extensively," said Wilson, a Boston native. "It's a big dream. It's exciting that it's coming true."

Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram, presiding bishop of the AME Church in Texas, and President of the Council of Bishops, called for all to envision Stephanie Wilson’s journey as a sneak preview of heaven. He noted that upon her return Stephanie could tell all what ‘heaven is like’.

http://www.blackprwire.com/display-news.asp?id=2567
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