Pu-atricia Cowings ungowesifazane omkhulu wase-Afrika waseMelika. Wayengowesifazane wokuqala ukuthatha ukuqeqeshwa kwe-NASA astronaut. Yize engakaze asuke, usize osomkhathi abaningi ngocwaningo lwakhe.
UPatricia Suzanne Cowings wazalelwa eNew York City ngoDisemba 15, 1948. Ubaba wakhe wayenesitolo, futhi umama wakhe waphothula eneminyaka engamashumi ayisithupha nanhlanu, ukuba abe ngumsizi kaprofesa weNew York Board of Education.
Waqala ukuba nentshisekelo kwezesayensi eneminyaka eyishumi nanye. Wayethatheka yisayensi yezinkanyezi. Wayephethe isithakazelo naye sonke isikole esiphakeme, futhi wafunda izifundo zengqondo ekolishi. Uthole umfundaze wokuqhuba ucwaningo kwaNASA. Ushiye i-NASA isikhashana ngemuva kokufundisa, kodwa wabuya ngo-1977.