The Right Stuff Comes in Black, Too

The Right Stuff was a term that was used to describe U.S Astronauts and space pioneers because of their ability to work in harsh environment requiring the nerve of steel sometimes risking their life. In politics the right stuff can be used to describe Mr. Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 27 years, without losing his vision and was elected the first Black President of South Africa upon his release, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr who endured beatings and attack dogs, water hoses, while marching for civil rights and maintained the nerves of steel to secure civil rights for African Americans. President Barack Obama, first Black President of the United States of America, who was reelected for a second term under incredible condition of high unemployment, Financial Crisis and Deficits. In space exploration the right stuff can describe modern black Astronauts like Dr. Mae Jemison, MD, Guy Blufford, General Charles Bolden, and Dr. Robert Bobby Satcher, MD and Ph.D. Fiber Optics are hair thin strands of glass that allow video, data, pictures, voice and Television signals to be transmitted using laser pulses to support the Internet. The robust and high speed transmission on the Internet is due to Fiber Optics. Dr. Thomas Mensah is one of the four inventors and innovators of Fiber Optics Technology which has enabled the Internet to reach many countries and continents. Over a billion people now use the Internet in many countries accessing it through smart mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desk top personal computers. The unlimited bandwidth, or information carrying capacity of fiber optics media makes this possible. Dr. Thomas Mensah solved a worldwide problem that had plagued the Fiber Optics and Telecommunication industry for almost 15 years keeping the cost of production extremely high because the fragile glass broke any time the speed was raised above 2 meters per second. His first invention allowed fiber optics to be manufactured at 10 times the speed of production without glass breakage while maintaining excellent transmission properties. He was awarded the Corning Glass Works Individual Outstanding Contributor Award and a cash prize of $10,000 for this manufacturing Innovation in 1985. He received four patents on the technology that were key to fiber optics manufacturing leading to production speeds of 50 meters per second. This closed the cost gap of 90% with respect to copper cable cost, leading to the replacement of copper cable with fiber optics cable in the U.S and throughout the world. This advanced Fiber Optic network infrastructure supports the modern high speed Internet.