Who Was the First Black Woman in Space? Mae Jemison's 1992 Mission

The Achievement

On September 12, 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-47. Mae Jemison was aboard as mission specialist, making her the first Black woman to travel to space.

The mission lasted eight days. She orbited Earth 127 times. Her experiments focused on bone cell research and motion sickness in microgravity, part of a joint U.S.-Japan life sciences mission conducted in the Spacelab module.

Jemison was not the first Black person in space. Guion Bluford had that distinction, flying aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983, nine years before her mission. Jemison was the first Black woman specifically, breaking both racial and gender barriers simultaneously. The First Black Astronaut page covers Bluford's full story.

Life Before NASA

Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama. Her family moved to Chicago when she was three. She grew up in Chicago's South Side and attended Morgan Park High School.

She entered Stanford University at 16, earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1977. She simultaneously completed requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies.

She earned her MD from Cornell University Medical College in 1981. After an internship at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, she served as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia from 1983 to 1985.

She applied to NASA's astronaut training program in 1985. The Challenger disaster in January 1986 delayed the process. She reapplied in 1986 and was selected in June 1987, chosen from approximately 2,000 applicants. Fifteen candidates were selected. She was one of them.

She trained at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for five years before receiving her STS-47 assignment.

The Path to Endeavour

Jemison's path to space was built on deliberate preparation. She understood that NASA favored candidates with science and engineering backgrounds, so she pursued chemical engineering. She added medicine, knowing that physician-scientists were strong candidates for life sciences missions. Her Peace Corps service demonstrated the ability to conduct medical work in resource-limited settings.

When she applied in 1985, she was more qualified than most. Her acceptance in 1987 from a pool of 2,000 reflected that preparation.

Five years of training at Johnson Space Center followed: simulations, medical procedures, robotics, spacewalk preparation, and learning the specific experiments she would conduct in the Spacelab.

On September 12, 1992, Endeavour launched. Jemison's first words on entering orbit are often quoted: "I felt like I belonged there."

Breaking the Barrier

The nine-year gap between Guion Bluford's 1983 flight and Mae Jemison's 1992 mission reflected the compounded barriers facing Black women in a program that had historically excluded both Black Americans and women.

The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, flew in 1983, the same year as Bluford. It took nine more years before a Black woman made the same trip.

Jemison's achievement fits a pattern that recurs across fields: women who broke both racial and gender barriers simultaneously. Kamala Harris as Vice President in 2021, Halle Berry as the first Black Best Actress winner in 2002, Patricia Bath as the first Black woman to receive a medical patent in 1988. In each case, the double barrier took longer to fall than either single barrier alone.

Impact and Legacy

Jemison left NASA in 1993 after one mission. She founded the Jemison Group, a technology company focused on improving life in developing countries. She established the Earth We Share program, an international science camp for students.

In 2012, she was selected to lead the 100 Year Starship project, a DARPA-funded initiative to develop the capability for human interstellar travel within 100 years.

She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, received the Ebony Black Achievement Award, and holds numerous honorary degrees. She continues to be a prominent voice in STEM education advocacy.

Black Women in Science: A Broader Legacy

Mae Jemison stands within a longer history of Black women who made foundational contributions to science, most of them without recognition for decades.

Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson: NASA mathematicians whose calculations were essential to the Mercury and Apollo programs. Their work predated Jemison's by decades. The book and film Hidden Figures (2016) brought their contributions to wide public attention.

Shirley Ann Jackson: First Black woman to earn a PhD from MIT, in 1973, in theoretical physics. Her research contributed to the development of fiber optics, solar cells, and communication technologies including caller ID.

Patricia Bath: First Black woman to receive a medical patent, in 1988. She invented the Laserphaco Probe for cataract surgery.

Jane Cooke Wright: Pioneer of modern chemotherapy in the 1950s, developing testing techniques using human tissue cultures.

Jemison's 1992 spaceflight was visible in a way that much of this prior work was not. That visibility was itself a form of contribution: it made undeniable, on national television and in news coverage worldwide, what Black women were capable of in science.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the first Black woman to go to space?

Mae C. Jemison was the first Black woman to travel to space. She flew as mission specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47) on September 12, 1992, orbiting Earth 127 times over eight days.

Who was the first Black female astronaut?

Mae Jemison was the first Black woman to fly in space. She was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1987 and flew her one mission in 1992.

When did the first Black woman go to space?

September 12, 1992, when Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on mission STS-47.

Was Mae Jemison the first Black person in space?

No. Guion Bluford was the first Black American in space, flying aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on August 30, 1983, nine years before Jemison. Jemison was the first Black woman in space.

What did Mae Jemison do after NASA?

Jemison left NASA in 1993 and founded the Jemison Group, focused on technology for developing nations. She also led the 100 Year Starship project and continues to work as a scientist, educator, and public advocate for STEM.