Endeavour (STS-47) launched 1992

STS-47 crew

Front row (L-R): Jay Apt, Curtis Brown; 

Back row (L-R): Jan Davis, Mark Lee, Robert Gibson, Mae Jemison,  Mamoru Mohri

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47), launched September 12, 1992, was the  fiftieth mission of NASA's shuttle program and the second flight for Endeavour.  Its crew consisted of Commander Robert L. Gibson, Pilot Curtis Brown, Mark Lee, Jay Apt, Jan Davis, Mae Jemison and Mamoru Mohri (JAXA).

It was the first flight for an African-American female, Mae C. Jemison.  It was the first time a married couple went into space, Mark Lee and Jan Davis.  NASA has a rule prohibiting married couples from serving on the same mission, but Lee and Davis got married in a secret ceremony a few weeks prior.  By the time NASA found out, it was too late to do anything.

Mamoru Mohri became the first Japanese astronaut to fly on a shuttle mission, representing JAXA, as a payload specialist.

Celebrating Black History Month - Stephanie Wilson, African-American astronaut

Stephanie Wilson is the second black female astronaut to travel into space, after Mae Jemison, and she is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  She has spent more time in space than any other black astronaut, male or female. 

Born September 27, 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, she began her astronaut training in August 1996 and first went into space on Discovery (STS-121) as mission specialist in July 2006.  She and fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak operated the robotic arm on the International Space Station during the mission.

Her second flight was on Discovery (STS-120) October-November 2007.  She operated the robotic arm again.

Her third and latest (hopefully not the last) mission was on back on Discovery (STS-131) in April 2010 as mission specialist.  She participated in interviews while on board as well as operating the robotic arm.

Happy birthday, astronaut Joan Higginbotham!

Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham, born August 3, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, is the third black woman in space, behind Mae Jemison and Stephanie Wilson.  She flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116) as a mission specialist in December 2006.  It was the first shuttle mission to carry two African-American astronauts and the first time the ESA had two astronauts in space at the same time.

Celebrating Black History Month: Nichelle Nichols, first black woman to go where no man has gone before!

Beautiful Nichelle Nichols, African-American actress, has blazed more trails than anyone.  She portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, the original series, a major character which was unheard of for a black actress.  Uhura is also the first non-stereotypical character for an African-American woman.  Whoopi Goldberg said she ran through the house shouting, "Mama!  There's a black woman on TV and she ain't no maid!"

Nichelle also shared the first interracial on-screen kiss with William Shatner, which garnered a lot of attention, most of it good.  Nichols was tired of racist harrassment and was ready to resign from Star Trek when she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who convinced her to remain in her role.

She was employed by NASA in the late 70's and  80's, recruiting astronauts of color, such as Guy Bluford, first African-American astronaut.  She inspired Mae Jemison to become an astronaut, the first black woman in space (after Lt. Uhura).

Celebrating Black History Month: NASA astronauts- Guy Bluford, Ronald McNair, Charles Bolden, Mae Jemison

Charles Bolden was appointed by President Barack Obama to become the first African-American Administrator of NASA.  He retired last month.  He became an astronaut in August 1981 and logged 680 hours in space on four flights: STS-61-C (Columbia); STS-31 (Discovery); STS-45 (Atlantis) on which he served as commander, and; STS-60 (Discovery) where he also served as commander.

Guion (Guy) Bluford, Jr., the first African-American in space, joined NASA as an astronaut in August 1979.  He has logged over 688 hours in space on four flights as mission specialist: STS-8 (Challenger); STS-61-A (Challenger); STS-39 (Discovery), and; STS-53 (Discovery).

Ronald McNair became an astronaut in 1978 and flew on mission STS-41-B aboard Challenger in 1984, the second African-American in space.  His second mission was STS-51-L also on the Challenger which exploded just 73 seconds after lift-off.  He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004 along with the crews of the Challenger and Columbia accidents.

Mae Jemison, the first African-American female in space, flew one mission on STS-47 (Endeavor) as mission specialist in 1992.  She left NASA the following year and is a Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.

Happy birthday, Lt. Uhura!

Nichelle Nichols, born December 28, 1932, is beloved by billions as Lt. Nyota Uhura from Star Trek.  Her role was one of the first, if not THE first, non-stereotypical role for an African-American.   She and William Shatner shared the first inter-racial kiss on television, which drew overwhelming positive reaction although a friend of mine told me his father almost made him stop watching Star Trek because of it.

While at NASA, she recruited astronauts Guion Bluford (first African-American astronaut) and Ronald McNair (another African-American astronaut lost in the Challenger explosion).  She was the inspiration for Mae C. Jemison to become the first African-American female astronaut.

Nichelle even has an asteroid named in her honor:  68410 Nichols discovered August 16, 2001.

Happy birthday, Dr. Mae Jemison!

Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, star of Star Trek: The Next Generation, was born October 17, 1956!  She played Lt. Palmer, a transporter technician in the episode Second Chances.

Oh, yeah, she was also the first female African-American in space, on the Space Shuttle Endeavor, September 12, 1992.  It was her only space flight since she retired from NASA in 1993.