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Mae Jemison: First African-American Woman in Space

By: Nola Taylor Redd When the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on its second mission, it carried the first African American woman into space. But Mae Jemison was more than an astronaut – she’s also a physician, a Peace Corps volunteer, a teacher, and founder and president of two technology companies. Let’s take a look at this remarkable woman. NASA astronaut Mae Jemison flew on space shuttle Endeavour in September 1992, becoming the first black woman to travel to space. Born in Decatur, Ala., on Oct. 17, 1956, Mae Carol Jemison moved to Chicago, at the age of 3 and considers the city her hometown. The youngest of three children born to a maintenance worker and an elementary schoolteacher, she had a fascination with all things science from an early age. Once, after receiving an infection, she performed an extended experiment on pus. Jemison’s parents supported her desire to be…