Who was the first African American woman to become an astronaut and make a space flight?

Mae Carol Jemison, born on October 17, 1956 in Alabama and raised in Chicago, was the 1st African American woman in space in 1993 as a Mission Specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-47).

Jemison graduated from Stanford University in 1977 with a degree in chemical engineering and a degree in African and African-American studies. She went on to earn her medical doctorate from Cornell University. Jemison was a doctor for the Peace Corps in Liberia and Sierra Leone from 1983 until 1985.

In pursuit of becoming an astronaut, she applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), joined the astronaut corps in 1987, and was selected to serve for the STS-47 mission on which she logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds in space, orbiting the earth 127 times.

She is an active public speaker, an author of children’s books, has held a professorship at Cornell University, formed her own technology company, and has been awarded several honorary doctorates. She is also a choreographer and dancer and at one stage considered pursuing a career as a professional dancer.

Jemison is the first real-life astronaut to appear on the TV programme "Star Trek", episode "Second Chances”, in 1993. She is a long term fan and was first drawn to the show by African American actress Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura which added to her interest in space.

Wilson, Higginbotham and Cagle are African American astronauts but without a space flight.