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Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison is an exceptional woman who was the first African American woman in space, and helped many people through her other endeavors. Jemison was born in Alabama on October 17, 1956 (Currently she is 63 years old). She was born in Alabama and moved to Chigago at age three. As a young child, Jemison was always interested in science and was encouraged in this by her uncle. She attended Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated in 1977 with degrees in chemical engineering and African American studies. Jemison also received a medical degree in international medicine at Cornell University in 1981. She made trips abroad to volunteer for a summer in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand and to study in Kenya. She spent a stint as a general practitioner, and later became a medical officer with the Peace Corps in West Africa for over two years. Jemison spoke four languages: Russian, Japanese, Swahili, and English.

This image shows Jemison testing the crew module of the space shuttle Atlantis in 1989.

In 1987, Jemison applied to NASA’s astronaut program and was chosen as one of fifteen out of over 2000 applicants. She became the first female African American astronaut. She worked as an astronaut office representative with the Kennedy Space Center. She also worked on STS-47 Spacelab J, the first successful joint space mission between the United States and Japan.

In 1992, Jemison became the first African American woman to go to space on the shuttle Endeavor for a week-long flight. The team performed 43 scientific investigations on the trip and Jemison acted as a co-investigator on several bone cell research investigations. After her time at NASA, Jemison became a teacher at Dartmouth College. She also started a company--the Jemison Group--to inspire students in schools around the world to develop interests in science and advanced technology. She also established a science camp for high school students. Finally, Jemison worked on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s project to achieve human space travel outside of our solar system within the next hundred years: the 100-year Starship program.

This image shows Jemison on the space shuttle Endeavor on her trip to space in 1992

Mae Jemison is an inspiring woman who has made history with her scientific work and determination to reach the stars.

Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Mae Jemison.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Mae-Jemison.

Redd, Nola Taylor. “Mae Jemison: Astronaut Biography.” Space.com, Future Plc, 4 Oct. 2018, www.space.com/17169-mae-jemison-biography.html.

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Mae Jemison

Katie Asselin

Edited by Sasha Pavlov

3/18/19