Mae Carol Jemison
Mae Carol Jemison is an American physician, engineer, former NASA astronaut, entrepreneur, and educator. In 1992 she became the first African American woman to travel in space.
- Born
- October 17, 1956
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Decatur, Alabama,United States
Flights
1
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
7 days, 22 hours, 30 minutes
Bio
Jemison studied chemical engineering and African and African-American studies at Stanford, then earned a medical degree from Cornell. Before NASA, she practiced medicine and served as a Peace Corps medical officer in West Africa.
NASA selected Jemison with Astronaut Group 12 in 1987. She flew on STS-47 aboard Endeavour in 1992, the Spacelab-J mission, which carried United States and Japanese life-sciences and materials-science experiments.
After NASA, Jemison built a wide-ranging public career in science education, technology, and future-focused research, including the 100 Year Starship initiative. Her work made her a major public figure beyond the astronaut corps.