The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will host the first African-American woman to travel into space, Dr Mae Jemison, from 27 to 29 November, to discuss a number of initiatives on space science and technology.
The former National Administration and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut became the first African-American woman to travel into space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on 12 September 1992. She resigned from NASA in 1993 to form a company researching the applications of space technology in daily life. In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison received several awards and honorary doctorates.
In further recognition of her pioneering achievements, she appeared as Lieutenant Palmer in Star Trek: the Next Generation, soon after leaving NASA after seven years as an active-duty astronaut
While in South Africa, she will visit a number of science and technology initiatives of the DST, including attending the Technology Top 100 Business Awards in Midrand on 28 November.
Most importantly, she will hold meetings with senior officials in the National System of Innovation to discuss possible areas of cooperation.
These include "The Earth We Share" initiative, which focuses primarily on science literacy and problem solving for learners and teachers by improving the understanding of everyday science and technology matters.
Dr Jemison will visit the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in Hartesbeesthoek to discuss issues such as remote sensing for crop management, intensified building of cube satellites for technology demonstrations, human capital development, and refurbishing of old space infrastructure and instruments to build technical skills.
Discussions will also centre on extending the 100 Year Starship (100YSS) initiative to South Africa to enhance partnerships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related initiatives. The 100YSS is a joint US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA grant project to a private entity in order to work toward achieving interstellar travel within the next 100 years.
Dr Jemison is expected to give talks and lectures on her various experiences, including her life as a technology entrepreneur. Other exciting possibilities include sharing internationally benchmarked content for science centres, especially computer-based science experiments to compensate for lack of laboratories.
Enquiries:
Tommy Makhode
Cell: 082 379 8268
