Mae Jemison became the first African American woman in space when she flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in September 1992.
Jemison served as a mission specialist on STS-47, a joint mission involving NASA and Japan’s National Space Development Agency. The eight-day mission conducted experiments in life sciences and materials science. Jemison worked as a physician before joining NASA and had served in the Peace Corps as a medical officer.
She left NASA in 1993 and became a professor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science education. Through the Jemison Group and other programs, she promoted technology and scientific learning.
Jemison’s achievement is sometimes confused with Sally Ride’s. Ride was the first American woman in space in 1983; Jemison was the first African American woman in space in 1992.