"Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live."
As a doctor, engineer, and a NASA astronaut, Dr. Mae carol Jemison has always reached for the stars. I992, she became the first woman of color to travel in space.
Mae Jemison was born on 17 October in Decatur, Alabama. After a few years, her family moved to Chicago, Illinois.
in addition to her love for dance, Jemison knew that she wanted to study science and go to space from a young age. Mae grew up watching Apollo airings, but was frustrated that there were no female astronauts. However, she was inspired by the African American actress Nichelle Nichols who played lieutenant Uhura in the star trek television show. Although both her parents were supportive, teachers discouraged Jemison.
In 1973, at age 16, she left Chicago to attend Stanford university in California.
As one of the only African American students in her class, Jemison experienced racial discrimination in school. She served as president of the black student union. in 1977 she received undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies. While at Stanford she also pursued studies related to space and first considered applying to NASA. After graduating from Stanford university, she attended the Cornell medical school. There, she travelled to Cuba to lead a study and worked at a Cambodian refugee camp In Thailand. After graduating with a doctorate in medicine in 1981, she interned at the Los Angeles County medical centre in 1982 and practiced general medicine.
Jemison joined the peace corps in 1983 and worked as a medical officer for two years in Africa. She supervised the peace corps pharmacy, laboratory, medical staff and implementing guidelines for health and safety issues.
However, once sally ride became the first American woman in space, she applied to the astronaut program in 1985 but after the Space Shuttle challenger exploded in 1986 NASA took a break from selecting new people. She reapplied again in 1987 and was one of the 15 people chosen out of over 2,000 selected for NASA Astronaut Group 12, the first group chosen after the Challenger explosion. After being selected, Jemison trained with NASA and worked on projects at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory.
She received her first mission on September 12, 1992. Jemison as the science mission specialist and six other astronauts went into space on the space shuttle Endeavor for STS-47. in 1992 it spent eight days in space. During the mission, 44 life science and materials processing experiments were carried out by the crew while orbiting Earth 126 times. It returned on September 20, 1992 This voyage made Jemison the first African-American woman in space.
Dr. Jemison started The Jemison Group, Inc which investigates the social and cultural impacts of technological advancements. She is founder of the non-profit Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence. She started The Earth We Share™, an international science literacy curriculum and program that builds student critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they gain science knowledge and skills, and trains school teachers in experiential education.
Dr. Jemison is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and Texas Science Hall of Fame and recipient of the National Organization for Women’s Intrepid Award and the Kilby Science Award among many honours
She is the principal for the 100 Year Starship Project provides guidance and direction for the foundation in fulfilling its goal of ensuring all capabilities for a successful human journey to another star will exist by 2112.
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