Just Facts

Dr. Mae Jemison was the first African-American in space. She was selected for the astronaut program in June 1987 and served as the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J. * Cool facts about Mae Jemison: Jemison is a trained dancer -- she built a dance studio in her home and even brought a poster from her dance school on her space mission. But when she was debating whether to go to medical school after college or become a professional dancer her mother advised her, “You can always dance if you’re a doctor, but you can’t doctor if you’re a dancer.” She began college at Stanford University to study chemical engineering when she was only 16 years old. Jemison faced many roadblocks to her dreams of pursuing science. Once, when Jemison said she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up, her teacher asked if she meant a nurse. She later founded The Earth We Share (TEWS), an international science camp that encourages science literacy for all. She’s afraid of heights, but she d...