Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison was born in 1956 in Alabama and grew up in Chicago. She studied chemical engineering and African and African American studies before earning a medical degree.

Her career included medical work and service in the Peace Corps before she was selected as a NASA astronaut.

Jemison flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47 in September 1992.

The mission carried Spacelab-J, a cooperative scientific laboratory mission involving experiments in life sciences and materials processing.

A spacecraft in orbit is continuously falling around Earth, producing the microgravity environment experienced by astronauts and experiments.

That environment allows researchers to study physical and biological processes under conditions very different from laboratories on the ground.

Jemison became the first Black woman to travel into space.

Her flight expanded public representation in human spaceflight and became an important milestone for students who had rarely seen themselves reflected in astronaut history.

Satellite and spacecraft orbits are not only paths through space. They can also create unique environments for communications, observation, research, and human experimentation.

Jemison's story helps connect orbital mechanics to the scientific work made possible once a spacecraft gets there.

Jemison's background crossed medicine, engineering, science, and international service.

Her career shows that the space sector needs far more than one type of expertise.