The four African American women who have flown in space
To date, four African American women have flown in space. Mae Jemison was the first Black woman to travel to space in 1992, and most recently Dr. Sian Proctor flew to space as part of the Inspiration4 mission.
Since space flight has started, four African American women have flown in space. The first black woman to travel to space was Mae Jemison in 1992 who has multiple degrees in chemical engineering, African American studies, and medical studies and has a successful career in NASA and as a professor. Stephanie Wilson who spent 42 days in space in three space shuttle missions in 1996 was selected for the Artemis program that will bring the first woman and first person of color to the moon. Joan Higginbotham, who was a payload engineer before becoming an astronaut, spent 12 days in space in 1996 as a mission specialist. Dr. Sian Proctor flew to space as a private citizen and served as pilot of the Inspiration4 mission.
Note: The full article was originally posted as part of Space Week coverage in October 7, 2021
