TEMPE, Ariz. (KERO) — Dr. Sian Proctor is living a dream.
In 2021, Dr. Proctor was a member of the first all-civilian spaceflight to orbit Earth on Space X's "Inspiration4." Even more impressive, she broke barriers by becoming the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft.
Sian's "aiming high" attitude comes from her father, Edward Proctor, who worked on the Apollo 11 mission when Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon.
"He never told me that I couldn't do it," said Sian. "If you think about the fact that both of my parents grew up in segregation, and then you know, neither of them had college degrees. So the idea of education was really important to my dad, he saw it as a making opportunity."
To celebrate Black History Month, Arizona State University (ASU) is honoring Sian, an ASU alum, during their "Space 2 Inspire" event, where she will unveil her "Afro-Botica" artwork. However, Sian has also made it her mission to celebrate another alum, Ed Dwight, who was the first Black astronaut candidate.
