HOUSTON - It's a clip from nearly 26 years ago – that Sharon Caples McDougle still holds dear to her heart.
It shows the moments just before Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go to space. If you look closely at the video – you'll get a brief glimpse of McDougle – Jemison's suit tech.
"When I found out the first sister was going up into space, I was super excited of course," McDougle said. McDougle's job was to make sure the gear the crew wears for launch - is safe and functioning.
"The crew escape equipment is like their suit and all of their ancillary equipment that goes along with it – their helmet, their gloves, their communication cap, their underwear, their diaper," she said. She spent months training Jemison and the crew for Mission STS-47 leading up the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor.
Born in a little town in south Mississippi, McDougle never dreamed she'd one day play a vital role for a number of astronauts at NASA.
"I lost my parents at a very young age – I was 4 when my dad passed, and I was 7 when my mom was killed," she said. But she says it was that adversity that set her up for success.
"I had no college degree – Air Force was my only job training, yet here I am," McDougle said. A flip through the pages of her scrapbooks shows the multitude of astronauts she's worked with and NASA missions she's had a hand in, making her own dent in history.
"I was the first black woman in my department, the first black female suit tech, the first female crew chief and black person crew chief and I became the manager," she said.
It's something she reflects on each time she looks at these pictures, or re-watches the video of Jemison's historic launch. The power of grit and determination to rise above your circumstance, something she hopes her story passes on to younger generations.