First African-American to Walk in Space Shares Triumphs and Struggles in New Book

(BLACK PR WIRE) HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Veteran astronaut, physician and entrepreneur Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr., has traded his stethoscope for the pen with the release of his debut book this fall.

“Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration” (Greenleaf Book Group, ISBN: 978-1-60832-076-9, Oct. 1, 2010, $23.95 hardcover), chronicles Harris’ journey from humble beginnings in Houston, and follows his meteoric rise to success as a respected physician, NASA researcher, astronaut, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

“By any measure, Bernard Harris is an authentic American hero,” said Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation, who contributed the foreword to “Dream Walker.” “It took years of study, training, and perseverance to achieve his dream. But as we learn from ‘Dream Walker,’ Dr. Harris’s walk in space is just one moment in an extraordinary story that has touched lives around the nation.”

The turning point for Harris came during the summer of 1969, when, at age 13, he witnessed the historic moon landing and vowed to set his life on a new course bound for NASA. As an African-American boy living on a Navajo reservation, his dreams of space travel seemed out of reach. Reflecting on this pivotal moment in “Dream Walker,” Harris writes: “There was no earthly – or unearthly – reason for me to believe that becoming an astronaut was a realistic goal. The only astronauts we knew about resembled Armstrong and Aldrin -- white and former fighter pilots.”

Determined to realize his childhood dream, Harris attended the University of Houston as an undergraduate, followed by Texas Tech University, where he earned his medical degree and continued his hopes of becoming eligible for the astronaut corps.

In “Dream Walker,” Harris travels to outer space and back again offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of NASA he experienced during two shuttle missions. Leaving behind a successful medical practice in San Antonio and a distinguished career as a NASA researcher, Harris was chosen from 6,000 applicants as one of 23 candidates invited to join NASA’s 13th class of astronauts. To become a mission specialist, Harris trained with the Air Force, underwent survival training in extreme environments and parachuted out of planes with his fellow “hairballs,” the moniker his class of astronauts jokingly bestowed upon themselves.

During his tenure at NASA, Harris traveled more than 7.2 million miles and logged 438 hours in space, and served as chief medical officer and payload commander.
Harris is joined by former astronaut Tom Jones, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, National PTA Chief Executive Officer Byron Garrett, Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator Mark Victor Hansen, former CEO of Intel Craig Barrett and renowned physician Dr. Benjamin Carson, who have all lent their enthusiastic support to “Dream Walker.”

Today, Harris has turned his sights back to Earth. He currently invests his time and effort in community-based initiatives to support education and health through his organization, The Harris Foundation. A passionate education advocate, Harris is dedicated to empowering America’s young minds in hopes of inspiring our next generation of explorers.

Harris founded and currently serves as president of Vesalius Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in new health care technologies and companies.

He holds numerous faculty appointments and is the recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, which honors leaders who have overcome adversity and are dedicated to helping those less fortunate. Harris currently resides in Houston. For more information on Harris, please visit www.theharrisfoundation.org.