Post by Norman B.

MAE CAROL JEMISON is an American engineer, physician, & former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1987 & was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission, during which she orbited the Earth for nearly eight days on September 12–20, 1992. In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison received a number of accolades, including several honorary doctorates, the 1988 Essence Science & Technology Award, the Ebony Black Achievement Award in 1992 & a Montgomery Fellowship from Dartmouth College in 1993. She was also named Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year in 1990. In 1992, the Mae C. Jemison Academy, an alternative public school in Detroit, Michigan, was named after her. Jemison has been a member of several prominent organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society & the American Association for the Advancement of Science, & she 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 & an honorary board member of the Center for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition.