Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, the first woman of color in space, is slated to speak at the Star Trek Legacy Awards banquet on Saturday, September 9, as part of the Star Trek 40th Anniversary Gala & Conference taking place over the anniversary weekend (Sept. 8-10) at the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame in Seattle.

Dr. Jemison was Science Mission Specialist (a NASA first) on the Endeavour STS-47 Spacelab J flight, a joint mission between the US and Japan. She conducted experiments in life sciences and material sciences, and was co-investigator in the bone Cell Research experiment in the Spacelab laboratory module. Alabama born and Chicago reared, chemical engineer, medical doctor, astronaut, professor, Area Peace Corps Medical Officer in West Africa, lecturer and entrepreneur, Jemison is dedicated to promoting widespread science literacy and the design and development of sustainable technologies. In addition to her extensive background in science, she is well versed in African and African-American Studies and is trained in dance and choreography. Her inspiration for going into NASA was Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lt. Cmdr. Uhura on Star Trek.

The Star Trek Legacy Awards, co-sponsored by Planet Xpo and STARTREK.COM, will be presented at the banquet in order to recognize those individuals who, inspired by Gene Roddenberry's powerful vision of the future, have made a significant contribution towards creating a future worth living: a future that is full of optimism, hope, excitement and challenge and that proudly proclaims man's ability to survive in peace and reach for the stars as his reward. Star Trek alumni participating in the weekend event and the Saturday night banquet include Original series cast members Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney and Gary Lockwood; from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, J.G. Hertzler; from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Marina Sirtis; from Star Trek: Voyager, Tim Russ and Garrett Wang; from Star Trek: Enterprise, Crystal Allen, John Billingsley and Gary Graham; from "Generations," Alan Ruck and Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek visionary, Gene Roddenberry. Martin Cooper, inventor of the first portable cell phone; Dr. Marc Raymond, Director, Deep Space 1 at Jet Propulsion Laboratories; Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer; Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute; noted Star Trek physicist Dr. Lawrence Krauss; Pat Hoar, Spaceflight Manager with Space Adventures Ltd; science-fiction artist Michael David Ward, screenwriter Tracy Torme and authors Greg Bear, Jeff Greenwald and David Marinaccio will all be in attendance.

For more information, please visit the planetexpo.com website.