Mae Jemison is a physician, engineer, and former NASA astronaut who became the first African American woman to travel into space in 1992 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.

Quick Scoop: What Did Mae Jemison Do?

  • She trained as a medical doctor and worked as a general practitioner and a medical officer in West Africa before joining NASA.
  • In 1987, she was selected for NASA’s astronaut program, becoming the first African American woman admitted to NASA astronaut training.
  • In September 1992, she flew on mission STS-47 on the shuttle Endeavour, spending more than a week in orbit and conducting life science and materials science experiments.
  • After leaving NASA in 1993, she founded the Jemison Group, a company focused on developing and applying advanced technologies, including projects to improve healthcare in developing countries.
  • She also helped lead and is the principal of the 100 Year Starship project, which explores the technologies and systems needed for humans to travel to another star within the next century.
  • Jemison created an international science education camp for teens called The Earth We Share to get young people engaged in science and problem-solving.
  • She has written books for children, taught at Dartmouth College, and frequently speaks about STEM education, especially for women and minorities.
  • Her achievements earned her many honors, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame, plus several honorary doctorates.

Why People Still Talk About Her

Mae Jemison is often highlighted today as a pioneering figure who broke racial and gender barriers in space exploration and then used her platform to push for better science education and more inclusive futures in both medicine and space travel.

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” — often quoted from Mae Jemison, capturing how many fans and educators describe her impact.

TL;DR: Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space, worked as a doctor and engineer, then went on to build tech companies, lead visionary space projects, and inspire new generations in STEM.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.