Guests are invited to buckle up for an outer-space adventure with
The Cynthia Woodlands Pavilion and Houston Symphony at Blast Off to Space! Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Native Mississippian who made history with NASA's space program is helping children reach for the stars - Picayune Item picayuneitem.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from picayuneitem.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A native of Moss Point, Mississippi, who made history with NASA's space program is hoping to encourage children to reach for the stars. Sharon Caples McDougle was the first African American woman to serve as a Suit Technician, keeping crews safe.
Black History Month: Sharon McDougle ‘suited up’ the first black woman to travel into space
McDougle was a ‘suit tech’ for Dr. Mae Jemison’s historic mission
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However, many are unaware that another African American woman was also part of this historic mission.
Her name is Sharon McDougle, a former suit tech for the space shuttle program who talked to Houston Life about her incredible story.
Sharon McDougle and Dr. Mae Jemison (Sharon McDougle)
McDougle was responsible for processing the orange launch and re-entry pressure suit assemblies worn by all NASA space shuttle astronauts, including Jemison.
“When I was ‘suiting up’ up Mae, I didn’t realize how big it was because I had done it for so long in the Air Force prior to coming to Houston. So, it didn’t really hit me how big (it was) until 2017 when the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ came out and people were saying ‘You should tell your story.’ I assumed everybody knew because I was in