hidden figures – The Philadelphia Observer

Spacecraft Named in Honor of Black Woman ‘Hidden Figures’ Mathematician

Juan Ignacio — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:48:22 +0000

NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson is one of the nation’s hidden figures. She made history as one of the first Black women to work as a NASA scientist.

In 1961, Johnson calculations put the first U.S. astronaut in space, Alan B. Shepard. For over 30 years, she used her math capabilities to transform the possibilities of space travel.

On February 20th, a space station supply ship named after Katherine Johnson launched to the International Space Station, celebrating the 59th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic orbit around the Earth. Johnson played a crucial role in verifying the mathematics needed to make the launch possible.

“It’s our tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who’s played a pivotal role in human spaceflight, and Mrs. Johnson was selected for her hand-written calculations that helped launch the first Americans into space, as well as her accomplishments in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a Black woman,” said Frank DeMauro, vice president and general manager at Northrop Grumman said on February 19th, according to Space.com.

Black Ballerina Chloé Lopes Gomes: ‘Speaking Out Against an Esteemed Company Can Ruin a Career’ (Video)

Northrop Grumman named the NG-15 Cynus spacecraft, the S.S. Katherine Johnson, in celebration of Black History Month.

The Making of a ‘Hidden Figures’ Mathematician

Johnson was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her incredible math skills were evident as a young child, allowing her to take an accelerated path in her academic studies. She enrolled in college at an early age, took every math course available, and received mentorship from multiple professors. According to NASA, Johnson was mentored by the third Black person to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, professor W. W. Schieffelin Claytor.

In 1937, she graduated with bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and French. She was only 18-years-old. After graduation, she followed in her mentor’s footsteps as a teacher. Johnson landed a job teaching at a Black public school in Virginia. Then, she became the first Black woman to attend graduate school at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) hired Johnson as a research mathematician in 1953. The organization became NASA in 1958. Her work was instrumental in Alan Shepard’s mission Freedom 7, John Glenn’s orbital mission, and Apollo 11’s flight to the moon.

Source: Spacecraft Named in Honor of Black Woman ‘Hidden Figures’ Mathematician

NASA will name headquarters after its first African American female engineer

Juan Ignacio — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 15:54:10 +0000

(CNN)NASA is renaming its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency’s first African American female engineer who helped inspire the story behind the book and film “Hidden Figures.”

“Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in the agency’s announcement Wednesday.

“Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology.”

Barack Obama to Address the LGBTQ Community for Pride Live’s Stonewall Day

Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

The news comes amid renewed calls for equality following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May. His death, along with that of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, sparked nationwide demonstrations calling for justice and an end to police brutality.

Jackson began her career with NASA at the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, NASA said.

A mathematician and an aerospace engineer, Jackson led programs aimed at uplifting women within NASA.

She retired from NASA in 1985 and passed away in 2005, at the age of 83.

Source: NASA will name headquarters after its first African American female engineer