Mae Jemison (b. October 17, 1956, Decatur, AL) is an American engineer, physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first African American woman to travel in space in 1992. After medical school and a brief general practice, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1985 until 1987, when she was selected by NASA to join the astronaut corps. She resigned from NASA in 1993 to found a company researching the application of technology to daily life. She is a dancer and holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities.