Dr. Mae Jemison, a physician and scientist, made history as the first Black woman to enter space in 1992. After attending Stanford and Cornell, she worked as a medical officer in the Peace Corps. In June 1987, she fulfilled a lifetime aspiration by becoming the first Black woman admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program.
On September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first Black woman in space, flying aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47. Jemison has received numerous honorary doctorates and honors in recognition of her achievements. She currently works as a scientist and public speaker.
Early Life
Mae Carol Jemison was born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama. She is the youngest child of Charlie Jemison, a roofer and carpenter, and Dorothy Jemison (née Green), an elementary schoolteacher. Her sister, Ada Jemison Bullock, became a child psychiatrist, while her brother, Charles Jemison, is a real estate salesman.
When Mae was three years old, the Jemison family relocated to Chicago to take advantage of greater educational options. Throughout Mae’s early school years, her parents supported and encouraged her gifts and abilities. She spent a lot of time in her school library reading about all kinds of science, particularly astronomy.
Jemison became determined she wanted to work in biomedical engineering while attending Morgan Park High School. Mae graduated in 1973 as a constant honor student and attended Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship.
Jemison, like in high school, was very involved in extracurricular activities at Stanford, including dance and theatrical shows, and she was the president of the Black Student Union. In 1977, she graduated from the institution with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering.
Jemison pursued her studies at Cornell University Medical College. During her stay there, she was able to broaden her views by studying in Cuba and Kenya and volunteering at a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand. In 1981, she received her doctorate in medicine.
Career as a Medical Doctor
After earning her medical degree, Jemison interned at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center before working as a general practitioner. She served as Sierra Leone and Liberia’s Peace Corps medical officer starting in January 1983. She held the job for two and a half years while also teaching and undertaking medical research on projects involving rabies, schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease, and Hepatitis B vaccination.
First Black Female Astronaut
After returning to the United States in 1985, Jemison changed her job path and opted to pursue a long-held goal. That October, she applied to NASA’s astronaut training program.After the January 1986 Challenger disaster, Jemison reapplied a year later and was picked as one of 15 candidates out of over 2,000 applicants.
On June 4, 1987, Jemison became the first Black woman admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program. After more than a year of training, she became the first Black female astronaut, holding the position of science mission specialist. The role required her to conduct crew-related scientific studies on the space shuttle.
On September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first Black woman in space onboard the Endeavour on mission STS47, together with six other astronauts.
During her eight days in orbit, Jemison experimented with weightlessness and motion sickness on both the crew and herself. In total, she spent almost 190 hours in orbit before returning to Earth on September 20, 1992.
Following her historic flight, Jemison stated that society should acknowledge how much both women and members of other minority groups can do if given the opportunity. She quit the astronaut corps in March 1993.
Honors
Jemison has garnered numerous awards for her accomplishments. This includes many honorary doctorates, the 1988 Essence Science and Technology Award, the 1992 Ebony Black Achievement Award, and the 1993 Montgomery Fellowship from Dartmouth College. She was also named the Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year in 1990. In 1992, the Mae C. Jemison Academy, an alternative public school in Detroit, was named after her.
Jemison has been a member of numerous prestigious organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She sat on the World Sickle Cell Foundation’s board of directors from 1990 to 1992. Jemison served on the American Express Geography Competition’s advisory council and as an honorary board member of the Center for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition.
In 1993, Jemison was recognized for her efforts and inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She is a member of both the National Medical Association Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame.
LEGO’s 2017 Women of NASA set includes Jemison, astronaut Sally Ride, former NASA Chief of Astronomy Nancy Grace Roman, and computer scientist Margaret Hamilton in tiny size.
Career Since NASA
After leaving NASA in early 1993, Jemison received a teaching fellowship at Dartmouth. She also founded the Jemison Group, a corporation dedicated to researching, developing, and marketing innovative technology, as well as The Earth We Share, an international space camp for youngsters aged 12 to 16. Jemison launched BioSentient Corporation in 1999, which provides medical technology services and solutions aimed at increasing human health and performance.
She oversees the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s 100 Year Starship project. The project investigates and develops the feasibility of human space travel to another star during the next century.
Jemison, who has a diverse scientific background, is a regular public speaker who promotes STEM involvement and educational advances for women and minorities. She’s also a published author.
In 2001, Jemison published a memoir titled Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life, detailing her childhood, education, Peace Corps service, and astronaut training.The author aimed her book toward youngsters, encouraging them to learn from their life experiences. Because we all have adventures, big and small, and we need to learn from them and figure out what they represent.”
Jemison has written several books for Scholastic’s instructional series A True Book, including Exploring Our Sun, Discovering New Planets, and The 100 Year Starship.
Jemison has not limited herself to print medium. In 1993, shortly after her deployment on the Endeavour, she appeared as Lieutenant Palmer on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, marking another first. This was the first time a genuine astronaut appeared on the show.For Jemison, the opportunity came full circle. Nichelle Nichols’ portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series inspired her to pursue a career in space exploration.
She was a consultant for the National Geographic drama series Mars, about astronauts colonizing the planet, and the 2022 Disney and Pixar animated picture Lightyear, starring Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear.
Personal Life
Jemison has never married and is not known to have children.
In a 1992 New York Times interview, Jemison expressed her interest in modern jazz and African dance. By the time she flew on the Endeavour, she had already choreographed and produced multiple musicals. Jemison has also mentioned sewing, skiing, reading, and photography as her hobbies. She speaks Russian, Japanese, and Swahili fluently, demonstrating her passion of languages.