Mae Jemison the first Black woman in space was born in 1956

Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space, was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago. Astronomy Magazine and Astronomy.com both noted her birth anniversary on October 17. Before joining NASA, Jemison earned a degree in chemical engineering and worked as a medical doctor. [1][3][5]

According to Astronomy Magazine, Jemison graduated high school at the age of 16 and attended Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in African American studies. She worked as a medical doctor in the Peace Corps before applying to become an astronaut. [1]

Jemison served as a medical officer with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia from 1983 to 1985, where she also conducted medical research. She was selected as part of NASA astronaut group 12 in June 1987. She served as a mission specialist aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour during the uncrewed and crewed cooperative Spacelab mission STS-47 with Japan, which orbited Earth from September 12 to September 20, 1992. [5][6]

During the STS-47 mission, Jemison logged over 190 hours in space while participating in life sciences and materials processing experiments. She later resigned from NASA in March 1993 to pursue other professional interests. [5][6]