HAILING FREQUENCIES OPEN UHURA!

 - SPACE THE FINAL FRONTIER

by Toni Lee 

for UPSCALE Magazine - 1998

2,698 Words

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Who would ever imagine that a television show about a group of space travelers, going "where no man had gone before" and one black actress playing the role of chief communications officer could so deeply affect the lives of numerous engineers, computer specialists, scientists, black children and women in the United States? The far reaching effects of the original Star Trek, and probably the newer versions - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine is no less than phenomenal. One has to wonder whether or not Nichelle Nichols who is an amazing woman, and Gene Roddenberry the show's creator, fully understood the impact they would have when the show began in 1966. 

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At first glance, there does not seem to be a major correlation between the television series and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). But there is more than meets the eye. Although the first black astronaut was Air Force Major Robert Lawrence Jr., he was only recently recognized as such after many years of controversy. The 32 year old test pilot was part of the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program, a feeder to NASA, but was killed in a F-104 fighter accident before completing the 50 miles-up flight required to earn his Air Force astronaut's wings. His death in 1967 kept him from entering NASA's program and the Air Force canceled its program in 1969. It was not until ten years later that the next black man, Colonel Guion S. Bluford, Jr. became an astronaut in 1979. Oddly enough, the name that Whoopi Goldberg's Character uses in Star Trek the Next Generation is Guinan. Coincidence? Maybe, but neither of these are your everyday names. Was it in the stars, or good research? 

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The real kicker is how Colonel Bluford became an astronaut. Enter Lieutenant Uhura from the Starship Enterprise. Although it is best explained in her autobiography "Beyond Uhura - Star Trek and Other Memories" by Nichelle Nichols, the short of it is this. In 1975, long after the original series had been canceled, Nichelle became acquainted with then current Senior Staff Scientist in the Advanced Programs Office of NASA's Office of Space Flight, Dr. Jesco von Puttkamer at a Chicago Star Trek convention with over thirty thousand people in attendance. von Puttkamer was an avid fan, and from that relationship, Nichelle became involved with the space program and challenged NASA officials to put their money where their mouths were and not just talk about the lack of minority applicants, but to do something about it. 

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In 1977, her company, Women In Motion, Inc. was awarded a contract to recruit more minority astronauts. In the seven months before her contract began, only 1,600 applications including fewer than 100 women and 35 minority candidates applied, none of whom were qualified. Four months later, using her celebrity status to recruit, 8,400 applications were in, including 1,649 from women and 1,000 from minorities. Applicants included Sally Ride, the first US woman in space, Guion Bluford, Frederick Gregory, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka and Ronald McNair - the last three ultimately losing their lives in the Challenger disaster. During Nichelle's contract, NASA received over 24,000 inquiries regarding the 30 to 40 positions available. An outstanding, historical feat for a television Starfleet officer in the Federation to accomplish in the real world of NASA.

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To present, the space program has included thirteen black astronauts, Major Robert Lawrence, Jr., Dr. Guion Bluford, Brig. General Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Frederick Gregory, Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr., and Dr. Mae Jemison who are all former astronauts, along with Ronald McNair who is deceased. The current astronauts include Michael Anderson, Dr. Yvonne Cagle, Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Winston Scott and Stephanie Wilson. What encouraged these people to become astronauts? Among other factors, Bluford, McNair and Gregory were recruited by Nichelle Nichols and Women In Motion, Inc.. But what about the others?

Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. told UPSCALE "Nichelle was the first black person as an astronaut I had ever heard of and I knew I wanted to go into medicine, so Dr. McCoy on Star Trek greatly influenced me as a kid. I could see myself in space and fantasize along with the show." It is a well known fact that Dr. Mae Jemison was also influenced by the image Uhura provided on screen and Dr. Yvonne Cagle said "She was a tremendous influence. To see her on the show in such a technically sophisticated position, she was a mentor and example of articulation, brilliance and beauty and a prototype for achievement."

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So, is art imitating life, or is life imitating art? Dr. Bernard Harris who was the first black to walk in space and who grew up on a Navaho Indian Reservation where his mother was a teacher became enamored with the space program at age 8 while watching John Glenn on television. He was also encouraged by the wide open skies over Arizona and New Mexico where he spent much of his childhood. He echoes the voices of many of those interviewed in saying "I think life is imitating art. Art comes from the soul and spirit of human beings. Creativity and imagination come from this. It is a self fulfilling prophecy." 

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Robert Curbeam, the next black scheduled for space and three space walks in December 1999 mission STS-100, flight 6A of the space station assembly flight on Space Shuttle Discovery said " Artist take their ideas from what we scientists theorize. Writers are not restricted to a working knowledge of technology. Art may inspire scientists to solve issues raised by artists. Even though much of it is unobtainable, the reaching for is important." Actor/Director/Writer Levar Burton suggests that "One pushes the other, like the dog chasing his tale."

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Burton who plays Geordi La Forge, an engineer originally on Star Trek: The Next Generation has written a science fiction novel titled "Aftermath" and will write his second, "Middle Passage" once his schedule clears. "Aftermath" is a foreboding tale of life after a major "race war" which destroys the United States as we know it, leveling buildings, destroying public utilities and creating sub-cultures and industries including a sinister doctor who harvests blacks for their skin to graft onto and protect rich whites from skin cancer resulting from the total destruction of the ozone layer. The heroine and assisting hero are black scientists. He depicts a world where most have learned their lesson about racial hatred and are starting anew. Writers like Octavia Butler, Samuel Delaney and Steven Barnes, along with many others also influence the way we see ourselves in the future as hypothesized through science fiction. 

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This intermingling of art and science creates a unique perspective for people of color that has an interesting underlying effect on our perception of the future. Burton explains " Sci-Fi provides an opportunity to get lost in a different space and time, and to consider and explore possibilities. One of the reasons Star Trek was and is so popular is because it allowed us to stop seeing ourselves as separate. People settled their differences, got along and created cooperative ventures. But we need more diversity in our space program. Where are more Pakistanis, Latinos, Asians, Samoans?" In fact, there are 135 astronauts total with 18 people of color, 6 of whom are blacks and there is a new class with 21 males and 4 females. As Joan Higginbotham, an April graduate of the NASA astronauts program states, "Space travel is an extension of our relationships here on earth, our knowledge and our vision for peace. We must stay interested globally and stay educated."

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George Reese, Associate Administrator of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunities Programs for NASA, attended the NAACP convention in Atlanta, the second week of July 1998 with the three current black female astronauts Cagle, Higginbotham and Wilson. He heads a program which services Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the tune of 61 million dollars devoted to minority education. Reese said "Universities can pitch research projects to NASA and we will grant seed money which develops the research capabilities of these universities so they can match the abilities of major colleges like Harvard and MIT. It develops schools and students so that they can better compete and gives us a qualified employment base to hire from. NASA has 17,000 employees in positions such as aeronautical design, food services, clothing design, engineering, biology, engineering, trajectory analysis orbital mechanics, lawyers for drafting documents on peaceful use of outer space and appropriation of the moon for mineral rights. Everyone can't be an astronaut, but there are many positions needed." This is reflected by Higginbotham. "It took me two times to become an astronaut because of sheer numbers. Six thousand applied in my class, 123 got an interview and 15 were accepted into the program. However, all three of us worked in other technical positions at NASA before applying to the astronaut's program."

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Did you ever wonder what all those other hundreds of people who were not on the "bridge" in Star Trek were doing? Space exploration requires a broad spectrum of services. There are other opportunities developing and privatization is becoming a huge factor in the continuation of real-life space travel. Dr. Bernard Harris, former astronaut and present Vice President of Microgravity and Life Sciences for Spacehab, a company which makes Single and Double Modules that are integrated into the Shuttle's cargo bay that add space for private research told us "Spacehab has completed 11 missions within the NASA program. There are quite a few independent launches planned in the future and the development of the X33, single stage to orbit vehicle will make space travel cheaper than our present shuttle program." What this could mean is that all those qualified astronaut applicants who didn't make the NASA program could be moving into private industry soon. How soon?

Spacehab founder Shelley Harrison is presently seeking support for an International Space Alliance, which is much like the commercial version of the Federation in Star Trek. It will have prospective members from Tokyo, Rome, Munich, and Ontario whose purpose is commercial space study, and will function with the new Space Station slated to be completed as soon as 2004 - six years from now. What that means is that kids today who watch and are inspired by Deep Space Nine, could be private astronauts in just a few years like pilots of commercial airliners. Star Trek fiction come to life. 

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In fact, many Trekkers (they prefer not to be called Trekkies) are in technical fields because of the influence Star Trek had on them as well. They are intelligent, often brilliant people who acknowledge the effect the show has had on many lives. It was a letter writing campaign from over 400,000 Star Trek fans to President Gerald Ford that got the first Space Shuttle Constitution name changed to the Enterprise. Bartricia Williams a scientist specializing in Fuzzy Set Theory - artificial intelligence technique, and president of Emissary, the official Trekkers fan club for Actor Avery Brooks told UPSCALE "It does not seem unreasonable or fantastic a time frame because I grew up with the space program and Science Fiction has made space exploration more popular and acceptable, removing the 'why' and replacing it with 'when'. The international space station is a good example. Science fiction was the forerunner and now we are living it!" 

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What positions do the blacks in the Star Trek series and the spin offs work? Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan) - Bartender; Michael Dorn (Worf) - Security; Levar Burton (Geordi) - Engineer; Avery Brooks (Sisco) - Captain; Tim Russ (Tuvck) - Tactical Security Officer; and Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisco) - son. Real astronauts have titles like Payload Specialist, Mission Specialist, Pilot, Spacecraft Commander and Science Mission Specialist. Although the missions are less adventurous and certainly less violent lacking the enemy alien attacks inherent in all the Star Trek series, they are nonetheless vitally important to our global scientific progress. 

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Space travel has been responsible for a host of technological developments including Velcro, cardiac pacemakers, fetal-monitoring instruments, life-saving protective uniforms for firemen, Mylar plastic, solar panels for heating and cooling homes and a host of other devices and equipment. On the other hand, some of these developments were art first and science later. "There are a lot of examples." said Dr. Harris. "The PDA - personal digital assistant and the electronic report pad, are much like the 3 com palm pilot. The communicator Captain Kirk used is much like the present day pagers and the tricoder is similar to present day phones with the flip top. I want black children to know that space exploration is for them and they should dream of being astronauts and space entrepreneurs. It is o.k to be well educated, to have leaders and to take charge. We are the original people, the inventors and scientists and we have dictated history's progress."

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Trekkers like Delores Spencer, a member of Emissary have said "I doubt that I would have become involved in computers and chosen it as my line of work if it weren't for watching Star Trek. Somehow it made science more accessible." Nichelle Nichols should find great comfort in this statement. According to her book, after the first year of the show, she was so tired of the racism and continuous depletion of story content for her character Uhura, that she was about to quit the show. She attended a NAACP fundraising event and was approached by a man who was introduced as a big fan. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. She told him she was considering quitting the show and he replied firmly "You cannot and must not . . . for the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people - as we should be . . . you are a role model for everyone. Remember you are not important there in spite of your color. You are important there because of your color. This is what Gene Roddenberry has given us." Needless to say she was affected by his words, as many more have been when he spoke, and she continued influencing people like Delores. When she told Gene of her discussion with King he replied "God bless that man. At least someone sees what I'm trying to achieve."

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So maybe the next time your kid wants to watch some version of the current or syndicated Star Trek television shows, don't be so quick to chase her or him to bed. Dr. Bernard Harris who had a combination flag made of all the countries of Africa and took it up with him on his first mission in 1993 to exemplify the importance of African achievement in math and science said "The reason we take things into space is to give value to that thing you take. I brought it back in honor." Appropriately, Mission Commander James Wetherbee carried Gene Roddenberry's ashes on the Space Shuttle Columbia in October 1992 in respect for Gene's last wish, and tribute to his vision.

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Robert Curbeam is scheduled to be the next black person to walk in space. Already having flown in space once he said, "The view of earth is absolutely captivating and so I am very excited." When asked to describe his first walk in space the tone of Dr. Bernard Harris' voice changed and became mellow, non-scientific, raspy and filled with sensuality. More artist is heard than scientist. "The actual walk from airlock to exit the hatch was awesome. The vehicle flies upside down, and the view of the earth is incredible because you move at 17,000 miles per hour so it is almost vertigo like with the earth in one direction and the blackness of space in the other direction." Listening to his ethereal tone and envisioning the surreal picture he paints reflects a line that Nichelle Nichols refers to as a statement made by Uhura in a film for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. "The difference between fantasy and fact is that fantasy simply hasn't happened yet."

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The communication channel is now closed. Uhura out? Nah - probably not!

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Written for UPSCALE - 1998