Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Carol Jemison is a groundbreaking American physician, engineer, NASA astronaut, and educator who shattered racial and gender barriers on September 12, 1992, when she blasted into orbit aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47), becoming the first Black woman in human history to travel into space. Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Jemison was driven from childhood by an insatiable curiosity for astronomy, dance, and biomedical research.

Entering Stanford University at age sixteen on a National Merit Scholarship, she graduated with dual degrees in chemical engineering and African and Afro-American studies. She then earned her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1981, subsequently serving as a Peace Corps Medical Officer in Liberia and Sierra Leone, where she managed primary healthcare, pharmacy logistics, and disease control.

Inspired by actress Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek and Sally Ride's pioneering spaceflight, Jemison applied to NASA's astronaut training program in 1987, selected as one of fifteen candidates from over 2,000 applicants. Aboard the eight-day STS-47 Spacelab-J mission, a cooperative venture between NASA and Japan, Dr. Jemison logged over 190 hours in space, conducting breakthrough microgravity experiments on bone cell research. After leaving NASA, she founded The Jemison Group, established the international science camp The Earth We Share, became the first real astronaut to appear on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and leads the visionary 100 Year Starship initiative to enable human interstellar space travel within the next century.