Whoopi Goldberg, who later played Guinan on "", described Uhura as a role model for her, recalling that she told her family, "I just saw a Black woman on television; and she ain't no maid!" NASA later employed Nichols in a campaign to encourage women and African-Americans to join the service. NASA Astronaut Group 8 yielded the first recruits composed of women and ethnic minorities—three were Black (Guion Bluford, Ronald McNair and Dr. Frederick D. Gregory). Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, cited "Star Trek" as an influence in her decision to join. Jemison herself had a minor role on an episode of "The Next Generation" called "", playing a transporter operator named Lieutenant Palmer. Jemison was the first of several real-life astronauts to appear on "Star Trek".