Out of this world: soar into space with a history-making astronaut.Mae Jemison Mae Carol Jemison, M.D. (born 17 October, 1956) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. She became the first Black woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992. looked out the window and saw Chicago passing by. The scientist wasn't looking out of any old window. She was observing her childhood hometown from far above Earth's surface--from the space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. . In 1987, Jemison was selected to become an astronaut, making her the first African-American female astronaut. In 1992, she made world history as the first woman of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color in space. As the science mission specialist onboard Endeavour, she performed experiments while the shuttle made 127 orbits at roughly 482 kilometers (260 nautical miles) above Earth. "Each day was exciting and challenging," says Jemison of her experience in space. In some ways, Jemison's trip into space had been in her plans even before she completed kindergarten. One day, the 5-year-old boldly announced to her teacher that she planned to be a scientist. AIM HIGH As a child, Jemison's curiosity about the world sent her on frequent trips to the library. There, she devoured books on many different subjects. In fourth grade, "I particularly loved learning about how Earth was created," she says. "I wanted to know how life evolved, how we ended up here, and how big space was." The budding scientist also enjoyed watching the 1960s TV show Star Trek  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. . She found the character Lieutenant Uhura particularly engaging. Played by African-American actress Nichelle Nichols Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Nichols on December 28 1932) is an American singer, actress, and voice actress. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. , the chief communications officer The chief communications officer or CCO is a job title for the head of communications, public relations and/or public affairs within an organization. Most typically, the CCO reports to the chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporate entity or president of an operating unit. explored the galaxy with a crew made up of people from all over the world. This vision fueled Jemison's belief that she, too, would explore space. At age 16, Jemison entered Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. in California, where she earned degrees in chemical engineering and African Studies African studies (also known as Africana studies) is the study of Africa, and can encompass such fields as social and economic development, politics, history, culture, sociology, anthropology or linguistics. A specialist in African studies is referred to as an Africanist. . She continued her studies by going to medical school at Cornell University Cornell University, mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and becoming a physician. Following medical school, Jemison worked as the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone Sierra Leone (sēĕr`ə lēō`nē, lēōn`; sēr`ə lēōn), officially Republic of Sierra Leone, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,018,000), 27,699 sq mi (71,740 sq km), W Africa. and Liberia in West Africa, bringing health care to people in those nations. She also worked as a general practitioner general practitioner n. Abbr. GP A physician whose practice consists of providing ongoing care covering a variety of medical problems in patients of all ages, often including referral to appropriate specialists. in Los Angeles, California. While working there, she applied for a spot with NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. . In 1987, she was selected to become an astronaut. BLAST OFF On September 12, 1992, Jemison lifted off from Earth and spent eight days working aboard Endeavour. "It feels very different from being on Earth," she says of living in space. Aboard the shuttle, astronauts float because they experience gravity a little differently than they do on Earth. This attracting force that pulls objects toward one another is everywhere, even in space. You are pulled to Earth's surface because Earth is so massive. To avoid being dragged back to Earth's surface, the space shuttle travels very quickly around Earth--at speeds of approximately 28,000 km (17,500 mi) per hour. That velocity (speed in one direction) is just fast enough to offset the pull of gravity. The shuttle's forward velocity combines with the downward pull of Earth's gravity, bending the path of the shuttle as it falls. So instead of falling directly down to Earth, the space shuttle and its astronauts fall in a path around Earth. Since the shuttle and the astronauts inside are falling together at the same rate, the astronauts float. Jemison, an avid dancer, tried dancing in this microgravity environment. "It felt very free," she says. "For example, I could easily spin which I can't do here on Earth." While moving in weight-lessness is fun, the microgravity environment can be harsh on the body. "Your muscles start to weaken because you're not carrying your body weight," says Jemison. Also, when no stress is placed on the bones, the bones weaken. One of Jemison's onboard experiments studied bone growth in microgravity mi·cro·grav·i·ty n. 1. An environment in which there is very little net gravitational force, as of a free-falling object, an orbit, or interstellar space. 2. . THE SKY'S THE LIMIT Jemison left NASA in 1993. Since then, she has worked in several other areas, including designing technology that could help improve human lives, teaching at universities, and starting The Earth We Share, an international space camp. She even appeared in an episode of the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation. Does Jemison think that she has accomplished everything that she wants to do in life? "Absolutely not. I'm still making up things." Did You Know? * There are no age restrictions for the NASA astronaut program. The average age of past candidates was 34. * To qualify as a NASA mission-specialist astronaut, a candidate must be able to pass a space physical, which is similar to a military or civilian flight physical. The candidate must have good vision: 20/200 or better uncorrected--or correctable to 20/20. The candidate must also be between 58.5 and 76 inches tall. RELATED ARTICLE: Jesus Castillo. FUTURE ASTRONAUT While many adults struggle to program their VCR VCR: see videocassette recorder. VCR in full videocassette recorder Electromechanical device that records, stores on a videotape cassette, and plays back on a TV set recorded images and sound. , Jesus can take one apart, put it back together again, and have it work like new. This 13-year-old hopes to assemble more-complex technology someday. "I want to invent things, put together rockets, and go to space," he says. The 6th-grader from St. Paul, Minnesota, thinks people--including astronauts--need new inventions that could help make doing chores easier and faster. The inventions "will give astronauts more time to explore and discover new things in space," he says. For a week last summer, Jesus got to experience what astronauts do. Through a local scholarship program, he was awarded a trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. This camp offers participants a taste of astronaut training. Suited up in a spacesuit, Jesus rode space-mission simulators. "You feel the rocket launch," he says. "It was a little scary, but it was exciting. I felt like a real astronaut." RESOURCES * To learn more about careers at NASA, visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/subjects /careers/index.html * Jesus Castillo was awarded a scholarship to Space Camp through a law firm called Fish & Richardson P.C. Although this scholarship is not open to kids outside of Jesus's school, Space Camp does offer its own scholarship. Visit this site to learn how to apply: www.spacecamp.com /details.php?cat=-Scholarships&program=Index To learn more about Space Camp, visit: www.spacecamp.com web extra Read more about Mae Jemison at: www.teacher.scholastic.com /space/mae_jemison/ index.htm |
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