Hidden Figures – The Women Who Helped Launch America into Space
It is my honor and conviction to help preserve the legacy of three brilliant women whose contributions to spaceflight were nearly erased by history. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson – three African American women whose genius and perseverance helped the United States win the space race while they fought racial and gender barriers every step of the way.
They didn’t wear flight suits. They weren’t on the front page.
But without them, no rocket would have reached orbit, and no American would have walked on the Moon.
👩🏽🔬 Katherine Johnson
Born: August 26, 1918 – † February 24, 2020
Profession: Mathematician
Workplace: NACA/NASA, Langley Research Center (from 1953)
🧠 Key Contributions:
- Calculated orbital trajectories for Mercury-Redstone 3 (Alan Shepard) and Mercury-Atlas 6 (John Glenn).
- John Glenn insisted that she personally check the IBM’s calculations before his flight: “Get the girl to check the numbers.”
- Helped with calculations for the Apollo 11 lunar mission and Earth reentry trajectories.
🎖 Awards:
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015, awarded by President Barack Obama)
- Congressional Gold Medal (2019)
👩🏽💻 Dorothy Vaughan
Born: September 20, 1910 – † November 10, 2008
Profession: Mathematician & Programmer
Workplace: NACA/NASA (from 1943)
🧠 Key Contributions:
- First African American supervisor at NACA (1949)
- Led the West Area Computers, a team of Black women mathematicians doing critical calculations.
- Transitioned from human computation to machine computing.
- Became an early expert in FORTRAN, leading the move to IBM mainframe programming.
👩🏽🏭 Mary Jackson
Born: April 9, 1921 – † February 11, 2005
Profession: Aerospace Engineer
Workplace: NACA/NASA (from 1951)
🧠 Key Contributions:
- First Black female aeronautical engineer at NASA (1958).
- Worked in supersonic wind tunnels, testing airflow and drag on aircraft and spacecraft models.
- Fought legal barriers to attend segregated engineering courses.
- Later worked to support and promote underrepresented talent at NASA.
🎬 From Obscurity to Recognition
Their stories were brought to light through Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 book Hidden Figures, and the critically acclaimed film of the same name.
The film shows how these women broke barriers during segregation and Cold War pressure – using their minds as their tools.
🚀 Space Program Impact
| Program | Katherine Johnson | Dorothy Vaughan | Mary Jackson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | ✅ Direct (Mercury-6) | ✅ Computation Support | 🔸 Technical research |
| Gemini | 🔸 Consulted | 🔸 Early machine support | 🔸 Wind tunnel data |
| Apollo | ✅ Reentry calculations | 🔸 Indirect | 🔸 Early aerodynamic studies |
| Shuttle Era | 🔸 Legacy influence | ❌ Retired 1971 | ❌ Retired earlier |
🇺🇸 What the U.S. Owes Them
- Safe and accurate trajectory math for early manned flights
- A vital bridge from human calculators to the digital computing era
- Proof that segregated minds were fully capable and essential to U.S. success
- The legacy of how diversity and brilliance must be valued, not hidden
📌 Conclusion
They didn’t just fight gravity.
They fought ignorance, injustice, and erasure – and still got the job done.
They changed the course of history with pencils, punch cards, and precision.
They were not „hidden figures“. They were foundations of modern space exploration.
📚 Sources
- Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly, 2016
- NASA History Office – nasa.gov
- National Women’s History Museum
- Interviews and archives: Langley Research Center
- Obama White House Archives: obamawhitehouse.gov