Mae C. Jemison Born: October 17, 1956 Occupation: Astronaut Before her 30th birthday, Mae C. Jemison had received two undergraduate degrees and a medical degree, served two years as a Peace Corps medical officer in West Africa, and was selected to join the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's astronaut training program. Her eight-day space flight aboard the space shuttleEndeavour in 1992 established Jemison as the United States' first female African American space traveler