Patricia Cowings is another great African American woman. She was the first woman to take up NASA astronaut training. Although she never took off, she has helped many astronauts through her research.
Patricia Suzanne Cowings was born in New York City on December 15, 1948. Her father owned a grocery store, and her mother graduated at the age of sixty-five, to become an assistant professor for the New York Board of Education.
She began to take an interest in science at the age of eleven. She was fascinated by astronomy. She carried an interest with her throughout high school, and studied psychology in college. She won a scholarship to conduct research from NASA. She left NASA for a while after to teach, but returned in 1977.