Dr Mae Jemison: The First Black Woman to Travel Into Space

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Dr Mae Jemison made history on 12 September 1992 as the first Black woman to travel into space. She flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-47 mission and spent eight days conducting life-science experiments in orbit. Her path to NASA combined science, medicine and the arts. She entered Stanford University at 16, studied chemical engineering and African studies, earned a medical degree from Cornell University, and later worked with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Inspired in part by Nichelle Nichols’ role as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek, Jemison joined NASA’s astronaut programme in 1987. She later appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, becoming the first real astronaut to feature in the franchise. Jemison has continued her work as an educator and advocate for long-term human space exploration through the 100 Year Starship initiative.

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