U.S. Names First Black Female Astronaut
by: Dr. Clint Wilson
Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, who said she had been inspired to become a space traveler while watching Black actress Nichelle Nichols on the television series “ Star Trek,” was a former Los Angeles medical intern and Peace Corps physician when she was selected for astronaut training.
After completing the yearlong astronaut training program, Dr. Jemison worked as an astronaut officer representative at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In September of 1992 she became the first Black woman in space when she flew aboard the shuttle Endeavor where she conducted experiments to determine the effects of zero gravity on humans and animals.
When Dr. Jemison later made a guest appearance on the television show “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” her childhood ambition had come full circle. The Black Press noted the occasion of her selection to the training program.
NATION’S FIRST BLACK FEMALE SHUTTLE FLIER ‘EXCITED AND THRILLED’
SPACE CENTER, Houston –- For the first time since the Challenger disaster, the space agency named 15 new astronauts Friday, including the first Black female shuttle flier, who said she is "excited and thrilled" at the opportunity.
The astronaut candidates will report to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Aug. 17 to begin a year of intensive training and evaluation before assignment to the astronaut office and eventual selection for flight duty.
"I’m extremely excited and thrilled," said Mae C. ...
1966 – James Meredith Shot Racial tensions were high after James Meredith, who was attempting to enroll in the University of Mississippi, was shot in an ambush.
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1982 -- Leroy "Satchel" Paige Dies One of the greatest Negro League baseball players, Satchel Paige, died and left behind a fabled legacy.
