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Quick Facts
- NAME: Mae C. Jemison
- OCCUPATION: Astronaut, Doctor, Scientist
- BIRTH DATE: October 17, 1956 (Age: 56)
- EDUCATION: Morgan Park High School, Stanford University, Cornell University Medical College
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Decatur, Alabama
- Full Name: Mae Carol Jemison
- AKA: Mae C. Jemison
- ZODIAC SIGN: Libra
Best Known For
Doctor Mae C. Jemison is the first African-American woman ever to be a U.S. astronaut. In 1992, she flew into space aboard the Endeavour.
Videos see all videos
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Mae Jemison - Mini Biography (2:23)
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Sally Ride - Mini Biography (3:01)
Mae Jemison - Mini Biography
A short biography of Mae Jemison, who became the first African American woman in space when she thrust into orbit on the shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
Sally Ride - Mini Biography
Sally Ride studied at Stanford University before beating out 1000 other applicants for a spot in NASA's astronaut program. Ride joined the Challenger shuttle mission on June 18, 1983, and became the first American woman in space.
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Play NowMae C. Jemison. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:20, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378.
Mae C. Jemison. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Mae C. Jemison." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 12:20 http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378.
"Mae C. Jemison," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Mae C. Jemison," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Mae C. Jemison [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378.
Mae C. Jemison, http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Mae C. Jemison. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378. Accessed May 22, 2013.
On September 12, 1992, Jemison finally flew into space with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47. During her eight days in space, she conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. In all, she spent more than 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20, 1992. Following her historic flight,
Contents
Jemison noted that society should recognize how much both women and members of other minority groups can contribute if given the opportunity.
Honors and Recognition
In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison received a number of accolades, including several honorary doctorates, the 1988 Essence Science and Technology Award, the Ebony Black Achievement Award in 1992 and a Montgomery Fellowship from Dartmouth College in 1993. She was also named Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year in 1990. Additionally, in 1992, an alternative public school in Detroit, Michigan, the Mae C. Jemison Academy, was named after her.
Jemison has been a member of several prominent organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and served on the board of directors of the World Sickle Cell Foundation from 1990 to 1992. She has also served as an advisory committee member of the American Express Geography Competition and an honorary board member of the Center for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition.
After leaving the astronaut corps in March 1993, Jemison accepted a teaching fellowship at Dartmouth. She also established the Jemison Group, a company that seeks to research, develop and market advanced technologies.
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