Mae Jemison
Mae C. Jemison
1956 —
États-Unis
American physician and astronaut
Émotions disponibles (6)
Neutre
par défaut
Inspirée
Pensive
Surprise
Triste
Fière
Key Facts
Works & Achievements
The first African-American woman in space, Jemison completed 127 orbits around the Earth in 8 days. She conducted biomedical experiments on microgravity and the skeletal system.
An international summer educational program for teenagers aged 12 to 16, designed to solve real global scientific problems. It aims to democratize access to science and critical thinking.
An autobiographical account aimed at young readers, recounting her childhood, education, medical career, and journey to space. A reference book to inspire scientific vocations in young girls.
An ambitious initiative supported by the American defense agency DARPA, aimed at making crewed interstellar travel technically feasible before 2112. Jemison took the lead to envision the future of human exploration beyond the solar system.
A plea for an education that reconciles arts and sciences, two fields Jemison has always cultivated together. This talk influenced the debate on STEAM teaching methods.
The first real astronaut to appear in a science fiction series, Jemison played Ensign Palmer in the episode 'Second Chances'. This nod to the show that had inspired her as a child brought the story full circle.
Anecdotes
At 16, Mae Jemison entered Stanford University on a scholarship, where she simultaneously studied chemical engineering and African-American studies. Her professors sometimes advised her to drop one of her two programs, but she refused and earned both degrees in 1977.
Before becoming an astronaut, Mae Jemison worked as a doctor with the U.S. Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia from 1983 to 1985. She managed medical care on her own for hundreds of volunteers under often precarious conditions — an experience that forged her determination.
On September 12, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to travel to space. Among her personal items, she brought a flag from the Organization of African Unity and objects symbolizing the African diaspora, affirming that space belongs to all of humanity.
A great admirer of Star Trek, Mae Jemison had been inspired as a child by the character of Ensign Uhura, a Black female officer in space. Years later, she made a guest appearance in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1993, becoming the first real astronaut to appear in the series.
After leaving NASA, Jemison founded the 100 Year Starship project in 1999, backed by DARPA, aimed at making crewed interstellar travel possible by 2112. She frequently emphasizes that science must be accessible to everyone, especially young girls and minorities who are too often excluded from scientific careers.
Primary Sources
"The arts and sciences are not separate. They are both expressions of human creativity. When we separate them, we lose something essential about what it means to be human."
"I always knew I'd go to space. Not because it was easy, but because I refused to let anyone else define what was possible for me. Every time someone said 'you can't', I heard 'you must'."
"I wanted to be a scientist, a dancer, an astronaut. People told me to choose. I chose all of them. My life is proof that you do not have to fit into a single box."
"Conducting experiments on bone cell research and motion sickness in microgravity confirmed what I believed: space is a laboratory that belongs to all of humanity, not to a privileged few."
Key Places
Mae Jemison's birthplace in 1956, in an American South still marked by segregation. Growing up in this context forged her determination to break down racial and gender barriers.
Jemison earned her degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies here in 1977. It was here that she refined her vision of a science open to all cultures and identities.
Launch site of the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992, the historic date when Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to leave Earth's atmosphere.
The capital where Jemison served as a Peace Corps physician from 1983 to 1985, single-handedly managing the healthcare of hundreds of American volunteers in West Africa.
NASA headquarters where Jemison was selected and trained as an astronaut starting in 1987. She spent five years there preparing for mission STS-47 before her historic flight.
Typical Objects
Worn during launch and atmospheric reentry aboard Endeavour, this suit protects the astronaut from depressurization and extreme temperatures. For Jemison, it embodied the realization of a childhood dream.
Jemison carried this flag into space during mission STS-47 to symbolically affirm that space exploration belongs to all of humanity. This powerful gesture highlighted her commitment to the representation of the African diaspora.
An emblematic instrument of her medical practice with the Peace Corps in West Africa, the stethoscope symbolizes Jemison's dual identity: physician and scientist serving the most vulnerable populations before becoming an astronaut.
Aboard Endeavour, Jemison conducted experiments on bone cells and motion sickness in weightlessness, meticulously recording her observations. Her work contributed to a better understanding of the effects of microgravity on the human body.
The character played by Nichelle Nichols in Star Trek was a decisive source of inspiration for young Mae, who saw in Uhura proof that a Black woman could have a place in humanity's future. Jemison has often cited this role model as instrumental.
During her years with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Jemison relied on these books to treat rare diseases under isolated conditions. This experience strengthened her scientific and human versatility.
School Curriculum
Daily Life
Morning
During the STS-47 mission, Jemison wakes up weightless in her sleeping bag strapped to the shuttle wall. She performs a dry wash with wet wipes and eats a rehydrated freeze-dried breakfast, communicating with the international Japanese-American crew.
Afternoon
The afternoon in orbit is dedicated to scientific experiments: bone cell cultures, tests on motion sickness in microgravity, data collection, and communications with ground teams in Houston. Every movement is slow and deliberate to avoid losing equipment in weightlessness.
Evening
In the evening, the crew gathers to share a space meal and debrief the day. Jemison spends time observing Earth through the portholes — watching continents and oceans scroll by every 90 minutes remains, she says, an emotionally overwhelming experience.
Food
On mission, Jemison eats freeze-dried or thermostabilized space foods: rice, reconstituted vegetables, protein bars, and fruit juice in pouches. In her daily life on Earth, she favors a balanced diet inspired by her travels in West Africa, rich in legumes and vegetables.
Clothing
Aboard the shuttle, Jemison wears a lightweight blue suit for daily work in orbit, and the orange Launch Entry Suit for the critical phases of launch and reentry. On the ground, she readily wears outfits blending professional elegance with pieces featuring colorful African prints.
Housing
On mission, Jemison lives in the narrow but functional compartments of Endeavour, where every space is optimized. On Earth, she splits her time between Houston (during her NASA career) and then Chicago and the East Coast, in environments where she can also practice dance and martial arts.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Gallery
Pacific connection – 2000 January/February
Mae Carol Jemison
Mae Carol Jemison (cropped)
Mae Carol Jemison (cropped 2)
Mae Jemison 2013
Mae Jemison crop 2009 CHAO
NASA astronaut Mae Jemison waits as her suit technician, Sharon McDougle, performs a unpressurized and pressurized leak check on her spacesuit
Federal Register 1994-03-08: Vol 59 Iss 45
Women's History Month 2024 (8402459)
Visual Style
Le style visuel de Mae Jemison conjugue l'esthétique rigoureuse de la NASA des années 1990 — bleu nuit, orange vif des combinaisons, blanc des laboratoires — avec les teintes chaudes et les motifs géométriques hérités de l'Afrique de l'Ouest.
AI Prompt
A visual universe combining 1990s NASA space shuttle era aesthetics with African diaspora symbolism. Deep space blacks and navy blues contrasted with vivid orange NASA flight suits and warm earth tones referencing West Africa. Clean scientific diagrams and blueprints alongside bold geometric patterns inspired by African textiles. Photographs of Earth from orbit with curved blue horizon against pitch black. Laboratory equipment in sterile white and aluminum, balanced with cultural objects in terracotta, ochre and deep green. Cinematic documentary style, strong contrasts, NASA mission patches with bold graphic typography.
Sound Ambience
L'ambiance sonore de Mae Jemison mêle le bourdonnement feutré des systèmes de la navette spatiale Endeavour aux communications radio avec Houston, évoquant la concentration et le calme du travail scientifique en apesanteur.
AI Prompt
Sounds of a space shuttle interior during orbit: subtle hum of life support systems, electronic beeping of scientific instruments, soft whoosh of air circulation, radio communications with Houston Mission Control through light static, the distant vibration of thrusters during minor orbital corrections, colleagues speaking in hushed focused tones in a pressurized cabin, the occasional clinking of equipment in microgravity, and a profound silence beneath it all — the silence of space itself just beyond the hull.
Portrait Source
Wikimedia Commons
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Références
Ĺ’uvres
Mission STS-47 Ă bord d'Endeavour
12-20 septembre 1992
Fondation du Earth We Share Science Camp
1994
Autobiographie : 'Find Where the Wind Goes'
2001
Projet 100 Year Starship (DARPA)
2012
Conférence TED — 'Teach arts and sciences together'
2002
Apparition dans Star Trek : La Nouvelle Génération
1993
