Anthony Llewellyn
A Welsh-born chemist whose journey took him from deep-sea labs to the edge of space as one of NASA's first non-American scientist-astronauts.
1933–2013 (age 80)·American scientist and astronaut·Birthday: April 22·The Silent Generation
Biography
Anthony Llewellyn's career was a testament to scientific curiosity across frontiers. Born in Wales and trained as a chemist, he first explored the ocean's depths as an aquanaut for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, living and working underwater. This experience with extreme environments caught NASA's eye, and in 1967 he was selected for Astronaut Group 6—the first group to include scientist-astronauts and, notably, the first to include non-Americans. Llewellyn trained intensely in flight school, but the challenge of mastering jet aircraft proved overwhelming, and he resigned from the astronaut corps before receiving a flight assignment. He returned to academia, teaching chemistry and continuing research, his story a unique footnote in the space race that highlights the diverse paths and rigorous demands of astronaut selection.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Anthony was born in 1933, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Selected as a NASA scientist-astronaut in 1967, one of the first two non-American citizens chosen for the program.
- Served as an aquanaut on the NOAA Hydrolab underwater habitat program.
- Had a long academic career as a professor of chemistry at the University of South Florida.
- Authored numerous research papers in the field of photochemistry.
Did You Know?
He was a naturalized American citizen at the time of his NASA selection.
He struggled with airsickness during high-performance jet training, which contributed to his decision to leave astronaut training.
His NASA selection was part of a short-lived initiative to include international scientists in the astronaut corps.
Before moving to the US, he lectured at the University of Wales.
“The principles of chemistry apply whether you're underwater or in orbit.”
