In
the 1960's, when the Gemini and Apollo space flights occurred, a small girl
in Chicago watched in awe, saying softly to herself, I want to do that."
This thoughtful child did
not stop to reflect upon being a female and a black American or about the odds
against her becoming an astronaut. Mac Jemison steadfastly believed this was
her destiny.
She realized education was
her pathway to the stars, and with her parent's support, she could accomplish
her mission. She prepared herself by reading books on astronomy and other sciences,
and she devoured science fiction as well. Her feet were planted firmly on the
ground, but she was reaching for the stars.
In 1973, when Jemison was
16, she won a scholarship to Stanford University in California. Four years later,
she had earned a bachelor's degree majoring in chemical engineering and Black
American Studies. After Stanford, she entered the Cornell University Medical
School in New York and became a physician. Later this strong woman joined the
Peace Corps and provided health care to people in West Africa, mostly in Sierre
Leone and Liberia.
In 1987, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) selected Jemison for the Astronaut Corps. On
September 12, 1992, she blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.
As chief researcher on that seven-day mission, her main task was to study bone
tissue during the period of weightlessness.
As the first African-American
female in space, Jemison has received many honors. More importantly, she constantly
promotes the importance of education and space age technology because she believes
the youth of the world must be educated so they can turn their dreams into realities.
