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[i]I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years. Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.[/i]
[i]She considers one of her greatest accomplishments helping to open the door for the first women and multi-cultural candidates to become astronauts. In a speech in Washington, D.C., Nichols criticized NASA for failing to select qualified women and minority candidates for the astronaut corps and she gave some examples of qualified people who had applied but were rejected up to five times. NASA was having their fifth or sixth recruitment, but women and ethnic minorities felt they were disenfranchised and stopped applying, she said. NASA officials attending her speech responded by inviting Nichols to NASA Headquarters the next day. They wanted her to assist them in persuading women and people of ethnic backgrounds that NASA was serious about recruiting them. "I said you've got to be joking; I didn't take them seriously," she said. John Yardley, who was involved in all NASA's manned space flights for almost two decades, directed the teams that built the capsules for the initial Mercury and Gemini mission and was a key manager for the development of the space shuttles, assured her it was not a joke. She accepted the request and she succeeded at attracting excellent astronaut candidates. As a result, NASA selected six women, three African-American men and an Asian.[/i]
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