On Sept. 12, 1992, launch day of the STS-47 Spacelab-J mission,
NASA astronaut Mae Jemison waits as her suit technician performs a leak check on her spacesuit. Dr. Jemison was the science mission specialist on the eight-day joint mission with Japan's space agency. She was the first African-American woman to fly in space.
I've lifted a Wikipedia summary of some of this awesome woman's accomplishments.
After her medical education and a brief general practice, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1985 to 1987, when she was selected by NASA to join the astronaut corps. She resigned from NASA in 1993 to form a company researching the application of technology to daily life. She has appeared on television several times, including as an actress in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She is a dancer, and holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities. She is the current principal of the 100 Year Starship organization.
