We were honored to have Astronaut Leland Melvin at the BBC flagship store in NYC for the signing of his new autobiography, Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace and Second Chances. In a room of longtime fans and curios kids, Astronaut Leland Melvin told his inspirational story and answered questions about his journey from those in the room and fans asking via Instagram Live. A longtime friend of Pharrell and the BBC brand, Leland’s path from being drafted to the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys to becoming an astronaut is a story like no other, and has served as a force of positivity for us here at BBC.
“Leland has helped me connect to the Universe I searched for so long since being a kid. From being obsessed with the TV series In Search Of to discovering Carl Sagan’s world, space always fascinated me. Meeting Leland allowed me to connect even deeper into the cosmos on so many levels. In 2009 Leland took one of my BBC tees to space as well as a piece of music we worked on together, which as you can imagine meant a lot to me. He also introduced me to Katherine Johnson and has worked closely with my mother on my charity to help further educate kids from my hometown. I’m happy to be able to call Leland a friend and looking forward to many more years of learning with him. And now he will take you, too, on a journey.” — Pharrell Williams
Guests were also able to view the OG logo BBC t-shirt that Leland flew with him during his second visit into space, making it the first BBC tee that has flown 4,490,138 miles.
Copies of Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace and Second Chances were signed and sealed by Leland himself, and a personal note to each guest. We’d like to give a huge THANK YOU to our friend, Astronaut Leland Melvin, for coming by and sharing his story with us.
