50 Fun Facts About Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman in space in which year?

She flew as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour that September.

Which Space Shuttle carried Jemison into orbit?

STS-47 was only the orbiter's second flight and NASA's 50th Shuttle mission.

What was the designation of Jemison's only spaceflight?

It ran from September 12 to 20, 1992, nearly eight days in orbit.

In which state was Jemison born?

Born in Decatur in 1956, she was the youngest of three children and grew up in Chicago.

In which city did Jemison grow up?

Her mother taught English and maths at Ludwig van Beethoven Elementary School there.

Which Star Trek character helped inspire the young Jemison's interest in space?

Nichelle Nichols' portrayal stuck with her; she later appeared on The Next Generation herself.

What did a kindergarten teacher assume when Jemison said she wanted to be a scientist?

Her parents supported her curiosity even when teachers did not.

At 14, Jemison auditioned for the lead in which musical, ending up as a background dancer?

She had studied ballet since about age 8 and dreamed of dancing professionally.

How old was Jemison when she entered Stanford University?

She said she was 'naive and stubborn enough' not to be fazed by leaving home so young.

Alongside chemical engineering, Jemison earned a Stanford BA in which subject?

She also headed the Black Students Union and choreographed a show called Out of the Shadows.

Where did Jemison earn her medical degree?

During training she worked in Cuba, a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand and with Flying Doctors in East Africa.

Whose classes did Jemison keep attending while at medical school?

She later carried an Alvin Ailey poster into orbit.

In which two countries did Jemison serve as a Peace Corps medical officer?

She ran the pharmacy, lab and medical staff from 1983 to 1985 and worked with the CDC on vaccine research.

Whose 1983 spaceflights inspired Jemison to apply to NASA?

She applied in 1985, then again in 1987 after the Challenger disaster paused selections.

Jemison was one of how many chosen for NASA Astronaut Group 12 in 1987?

About 2,000 people applied for the first class selected after Challenger.

In 1989 CBS featured Jemison in which television special?

The programme on the country's 'most eligible singles' was hosted by Phylicia Rashad and Robb Weller.

Before her flight, Jemison verified flight software at which NASA facility?

She also supported launches at the Kennedy Space Center.

What new role was Jemison given on STS-47 to focus on experiments?

She was Mission Specialist 4 on the seven-person crew.

STS-47 was a cooperative mission between the United States and which country?

The Spacelab-J module carried 43 life science and materials experiments.

How many times did Jemison orbit the Earth?

She logged 190 hours, 30 minutes and 23 seconds in space.

With what Star Trek phrase did Jemison begin communications on each of her shifts?

She was assigned to the Blue Shift of the round-the-clock crew.

A photo of which pioneering aviator did Jemison carry into space?

Coleman was the first African American to hold an international pilot's licence.

Which Japanese astronaut flew with Jemison on STS-47?

He was the first Japanese astronaut aboard the Shuttle; the two trained together in biofeedback.

The AFTE biofeedback technique Jemison tested was developed by whom?

It aimed to treat motion sickness and stress; Jemison later licensed it through BioSentient Corp.

What did Jemison produce in orbit using NASA's Fluid Therapy System?

She made water for injection, then mixed it into IV bags using a Baxter Healthcare method.

Which animals did Jemison help induce to ovulate aboard STS-47?

The eggs were fertilised to see how tadpoles developed in zero gravity.

STS-47 carried the only married couple to fly together on the Shuttle. Who were they?

NASA's unwritten rule against it was waived because both already had key roles on the mission.

Who was the payload crew training manager for STS-47 and later regretted Jemison's departure?

The Rocket Boys author trained her for the flight.

In which year did Jemison resign from NASA?

She left to start a technology consulting company.

What did she name the consulting firm she founded in 1993?

It studies the sociocultural impact of technology and design.

Jemison named her educational foundation after whom?

The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence runs science camps and essay competitions.

What is the name of the foundation's science camp for 12- to 16-year-olds?

The four-week residential camps have run at Dartmouth and in South Africa, Tunisia and Switzerland.

At which college was Jemison a professor of environmental studies from 1995 to 2002?

She directed its Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries.

Which Star Trek series gave Jemison a 1993 cameo as Lieutenant Palmer?

LeVar Burton invited her; she was the first real astronaut to appear on Star Trek.

Which actor invited Jemison onto Star Trek after learning she was a fan?

Her episode was 'Second Chances'.

Which Discovery Channel science series did Jemison host from 1994 to 1998?

She was both host and technical consultant.

Which US agency seeded the 100 Year Starship project that Jemison's foundation won in 2012?

The $500,000 grant created an independent organisation studying interstellar travel within a century.

Who conceived the 100 Year Starship study at DARPA in 2010?

He directed DARPA's Tactical Technology Office.

What was the title of Jemison's 2001 children's memoir?

It covers her childhood, Stanford, the Peace Corps and NASA.

Jemison's 2013 children's science series was co-written with whom?

Each 'True Book' ends with a 'Find the Truth' true-or-false challenge.

On a 2006 PBS genealogy series, Jemison learned her ancestry was 13% what?

African American Lives, hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., also traced paternal ancestors to a Talladega County plantation.

Which sorority's banner did Jemison carry on her Shuttle flight?

She spoke at its centenary in 2008 and her spacesuit toured in its exhibit.

Jemison was one of four minifigures in which 2017 LEGO set?

Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride and Nancy Grace Roman completed the set.

A 2019 Google Doodle quoted Jemison's advice never to be held back by what?

The doodle ran on International Women's Day.

In 1996 Jemison filed a brutality complaint after a traffic stop in which Texas city?

She was arrested over an old speeding-ticket warrant and treated in hospital for bruises.

Jemison was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in which year?

The International Space Hall of Fame followed in 2004.

What was Jemison's first job after her 1982 internship at LA County-USC Medical Center?

She worked for the Ross–Loos Medical Group before joining the Peace Corps.

Which Harvey Mudd honour was Jemison only the 11th person in 52 years to receive, in 2007?

She gave the college's commencement speech that May.

Jemison served on the board of which health body from 1990 to 1992?

Sickle cell disease disproportionately affects people of African descent.

Jemison voiced a character in which 2023 animated Marvel series?

She played Skipster in the episode 'Skip Ad...olescense'.