Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison
Mae Carol Jemisonis an American physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first African-American woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992. After medical school and a brief general practice, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1985 until 1987, when she was selected by NASA to join the astronaut corps. She resigned from NASA in 1993 to found a company researching the application of technology to daily life...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAstronaut
Date of Birth17 October 1956
CityDecatur, AL
CountryUnited States of America
I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did not know if I would get in. It was the year after the Challenger accident in 1987.
Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.
When I'm asked about the relevance to Black people of what I do, I take that as an affront. It presupposes that Black people have never been involved in exploring the heavens, but this is not so. Ancient African empires - Mali, Songhai, Egypt - had scientists, astronomers. The fact is that space and its resources belong to all of us, not to any one group.
My parents were comfortable with me exploring areas that they were not proficient in. Some parents just aren't comfortable with that.
Some people say they feel very small when they think about space. I felt more expansive, very connected to the universe.
I think science fiction helps us think about possibilities, to speculate - it helps us look at our society from a different perspective. It lets us look at our mores, using science as the backdrop, as the game changer.