Notable American Indians 

The Astronaut

John Herrington (b. September 14, 1958)

As a boy, whenever John Herrington played in a large cardboard box, he would dream he was flying a rocket ship. Years later, his dream came true.

John Bennett Herrington was born in Wetumka, Oklahoma, and is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. His boyhood dream of flying in space nearly crashed when a teacher told him he wasn’t smart enough to study algebra. Despite the teacher’s doubts, Herrington graduated high school. He also went to college but had to leave because of poor grades.

Herrington eventually returned to college and majored in mathematics. He became a test pilot with the U.S. Navy, studied aeronautics, and then applied to be an astronaut with NASA. Out of 2,500 people who applied, Herrington became one of 35 people chosen.

In 2002, Herrington became the first member of an American Indian tribe to fly in space. To honor his native heritage, Herrington took three eagle feathers and an arrowhead on the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s mission to the International Space Station.

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