Reaching for the Stars

Reaching for the Stars: Dr. Mae Jemison may have her feet firmly planted on the ground these days, but the world’s first woman astronaut of color continues to reach for the stars. Jemison was recently successful in leading a team that has secured a $500,000 federal grant to make interstellar space travel a reality.

The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence (named After Jemison’s mother) was selected in June by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to receive seed funding to form 100 Year Starship (100YSS™), an independent, non-governmental, long-term initiative that aims to ensure that the capabilities for human interstellar flight exist as soon as the next 100 years. The winning 100YSS™ proposal, titled “An Inclusive, Audacious Journey Transforms Life Here on Earth and Beyond,” was created by the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence with team members Icarus Interstellar and the Foundation for Enterprise Development.