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50 free Mae Jemison trivia questions with answers — science & nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Mae Jemison entered Stanford at 16, earned a chemical engineering degree and an African-American studies degree by 20, picked up an MD from Cornell, ran Peace Corps medicine in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and then applied to NASA because Sally Ride and Guion Bluford had shown it could be done. In September 1992 she flew on Endeavour's STS-47 as the first African-American woman in space, greeting mission control each shift with a line from Star Trek. These 50 questions cover her life and the mission: the Decatur birth and Chicago childhood, the kindergarten teacher who assumed she meant nurse, the ballet and the West Side Story audition, the Alvin Ailey poster and Bessie Coleman photo she carried to orbit, Spacelab-J and the frog experiment, the married couple on her crew, her resignation in 1993, the Jemison Group, The Earth We Share camps, Dartmouth and Cornell, her Star Trek cameo as Lieutenant Palmer, the DARPA 100 Year Starship and the LEGO minifigure. The expert tier asks about Astronaut Group 12, Patricia Cowings' biofeedback technique and a 1996 traffic stop in Nassau Bay. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and comes with a short explanation, so you learn something even when you miss.
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Q 01Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman in space in which year?
1992
She flew as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour that September.
Q 02Which Space Shuttle carried Jemison into orbit?
Endeavour
STS-47 was only the orbiter's second flight and NASA's 50th Shuttle mission.
Q 03What was the designation of Jemison's only spaceflight?
STS-47
It ran from September 12 to 20, 1992, nearly eight days in orbit.
Q 04In which state was Jemison born?
Alabama
Born in Decatur in 1956, she was the youngest of three children and grew up in Chicago.
Q 05In which city did Jemison grow up?
Chicago
Her mother taught English and maths at Ludwig van Beethoven Elementary School there.
Q 06Which Star Trek character helped inspire the young Jemison's interest in space?
Lieutenant Uhura
Nichelle Nichols' portrayal stuck with her; she later appeared on The Next Generation herself.
Q 07What did a kindergarten teacher assume when Jemison said she wanted to be a scientist?
That she meant a nurse
Her parents supported her curiosity even when teachers did not.
Q 08At 14, Jemison auditioned for the lead in which musical, ending up as a background dancer?
West Side Story
She had studied ballet since about age 8 and dreamed of dancing professionally.
Q 09How old was Jemison when she entered Stanford University?
16
She said she was 'naive and stubborn enough' not to be fazed by leaving home so young.
Q 10Alongside chemical engineering, Jemison earned a Stanford BA in which subject?
African and African-American studies
She also headed the Black Students Union and choreographed a show called Out of the Shadows.
Q 11Where did Jemison earn her medical degree?
Cornell
During training she worked in Cuba, a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand and with Flying Doctors in East Africa.
Q 12Whose classes did Jemison keep attending while at medical school?
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
She later carried an Alvin Ailey poster into orbit.
Q 13In which two countries did Jemison serve as a Peace Corps medical officer?
Liberia and Sierra Leone
She ran the pharmacy, lab and medical staff from 1983 to 1985 and worked with the CDC on vaccine research.
Q 21With what Star Trek phrase did Jemison begin communications on each of her shifts?
'Hailing frequencies open'
She was assigned to the Blue Shift of the round-the-clock crew.
Q 22A photo of which pioneering aviator did Jemison carry into space?
Bessie Coleman
Coleman was the first African American to hold an international pilot's licence.
Q 23Which Japanese astronaut flew with Jemison on STS-47?
Mamoru Mohri
He was the first Japanese astronaut aboard the Shuttle; the two trained together in biofeedback.
Q 14Whose 1983 spaceflights inspired Jemison to apply to NASA?
Sally Ride and Guion Bluford
She applied in 1985, then again in 1987 after the Challenger disaster paused selections.
Q 15Jemison was one of how many chosen for NASA Astronaut Group 12 in 1987?
15
About 2,000 people applied for the first class selected after Challenger.
Q 16In 1989 CBS featured Jemison in which television special?
Best Catches
The programme on the country's 'most eligible singles' was hosted by Phylicia Rashad and Robb Weller.
Q 17Before her flight, Jemison verified flight software at which NASA facility?
Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
She also supported launches at the Kennedy Space Center.
Q 18What new role was Jemison given on STS-47 to focus on experiments?
Science Mission Specialist
She was Mission Specialist 4 on the seven-person crew.
Q 19STS-47 was a cooperative mission between the United States and which country?
Japan
The Spacelab-J module carried 43 life science and materials experiments.
Q 20How many times did Jemison orbit the Earth?
127
She logged 190 hours, 30 minutes and 23 seconds in space.
Q 24The AFTE biofeedback technique Jemison tested was developed by whom?
Patricia Cowings
It aimed to treat motion sickness and stress; Jemison later licensed it through BioSentient Corp.
Q 25What did Jemison produce in orbit using NASA's Fluid Therapy System?
Saline solution
She made water for injection, then mixed it into IV bags using a Baxter Healthcare method.
Q 26Which animals did Jemison help induce to ovulate aboard STS-47?
Frogs
The eggs were fertilised to see how tadpoles developed in zero gravity.
Q 27STS-47 carried the only married couple to fly together on the Shuttle. Who were they?
Mark Lee and Jan Davis
NASA's unwritten rule against it was waived because both already had key roles on the mission.
Q 28Who was the payload crew training manager for STS-47 and later regretted Jemison's departure?
Homer Hickam
The Rocket Boys author trained her for the flight.
Q 29In which year did Jemison resign from NASA?
1993
She left to start a technology consulting company.
Q 30What did she name the consulting firm she founded in 1993?
The Jemison Group
It studies the sociocultural impact of technology and design.