AS A teenager, Dr Bernard Harris used to spend many afternoons watching space programmes on television. Inspired by scenes showing people boldly going where no one has gone before, Harris vowed he would one day join them.
Years later, Harris followed his dream – making history when he became the first African-American man to set foot in space.
“I always had a desire to travel to space,” said 54-year-old Harris, from Houston, Texas. “I started off working for NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] in 1986 as a flight surgeon and researcher prior to becoming an astronaut.”