Monday Morning Inspiration: First African American Woman in Space

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations…If you adopt their attitudes, then the possibility won’t exist because you’ll have already shut it out … You can hear other people’s wisdom, but you’ve got to re-evaluate the world for yourself.”

                                                                                                         — Dr Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Jemison  is an American Astronaut & Physician. She was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, AL. She obtained her BS  degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford in 1977 and an M.D. from Cornell University in 1981. She served in the Peace Corps for 2 1/2 years and became the first African American selected to the NASA Astronaut Program in 1987.

She also became the first African American Women in Space when she orbited the Earth for  190 hrs, 30 minutes, and 23 seconds, with six other astronauts on STS-47 mission on September 12 1992.

After leaving NASA in 1993, she taught at Dartmouth College,  and  currently runs BioSentient Corp, a medical technology company. She continues to be a strong advocate for science eduction

March is Women History Month and Women of Aviation Month.

See Also:
Biography.com
NASA Astronaut Bio
Air and Space