Today Saturday October 17 we celebrate world renowned American astronaut, engineer and physician Mae Carol Jemison. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as mission specialist aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
Jemison joined NASA astronaut corps in 1987 and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, while there, she orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12-20, 1992.
Born in Alabama and raised in Chicago, Jemison graduated from Stanford University with degrees in chemical engineering as well as African and African-American studies. She further earned her medical degree from Cornell University. Jemison was a doctor for the Peace Corps in Liberia and Sierra Leone from 1983 until 1985 and worked as a general practitioner. In pursuit of becoming an astronaut, she applied to NASA.
She holds several honorary doctorates and has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame.
Happy birthday queen!
