Astronauts Mae Jemison, right, and Jan Davis, in background, work in the Spacelab of the space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday, Sept. 13, 1992. Jemison is the first black woman in space. (AP Photo/Donna Carson)
Mae C. Jemison is best known for becoming the first Black woman to be admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program and to fly in space. In recognition of these and other achievements, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame exactly 30 years ago today, October 6, 1993.
Jemison applied for the astronaut program in 1985 after serving as a general medicine practitioner and as a medical officer in the Peace Corps.
Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman selected for U.S. astronaut training, sits in the sun, June 1987, Los Angeles, Calif. “I’m calming down,” says Jemison, 30, a physician in general practice at CIGNA Medical Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)STS 47 Commander Robert Gibson, front left, introduces the Space Shuttle Endeavour crew to the media at the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Sept. 25, 1992. From left are Gibson, Mark Lee, Jan Davis, Curtis Brown Jr., Jerome Apt, Mae Jemison and Mamoru Mohri. The crew were preparing for their Saturday morning launch aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
As a result of the Challenger Shuttle Disaster, she had to reapply for the program and, in 1987, was one of 15 successful candidates in a field of 2,000.
She made her historic flight on Sept. 12, 1992, returning to Earth on Sept. 20, after more than 190 hours in space.
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.
