Modern (1940’s-present)
106 Hidden Figures in NASA and The Space Race
Contributions from NASA's Work as Well as Those of Missing Voices
Kyle Rogers
Introduction
The Space Race started in the 1950’s during the Cold War, as the United States and the Soviet Union began racing to discover more about our planet and solar system. After the Soviet Union had successfully launched the satellite Sputnik, the United States worked hard to catch up and start their own research into our solar system. This allowed NASA to emerge as the forefront agency of the United States driving humanity beyond the confines of Earth. Though there were a lot of people involved with NASA in the late 1950’s and 1960’s, there were quite a few who did not get the recognition they deserved. One of these events being the 1969 space launch, getting men into space and setting foot on the moon. Some women like Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson are just a few known as the “Hidden Figures”. These women had to battle against sexism and racism during the Jim Crow era yet, they persevered, becoming some of the main driving forces behind the scenes and success of NASA’s space program.
Figure 1: Photo of Katherine Johnson, 1983 and is in the public domain as it is solely created by NASA. NASA’s copyright policy states that images “generally are not subject to copyright in the United States”.
Figure 2: Photo of Dorothy Vaughn and is in the public domain as it is solely created by NASA. NASA’s copyright policy states that images “generally are not subject to copyright in the United States”.
Figure 3: Photo of Mary Jackson, 1979 and is in the public domain as it is solely created by NASA. NASA’s copyright policy states that images “generally are not subject to copyright in the United States”.
Connection to STS
These women were given the opportunity to work in the Space Task Group where they calculated the launch and landing for John Glenn’s historic trip into space in 1962. Through the use of the Fortran computer programming language, these women used mathematics to calculate trajectories, analyze data, and solve complex equations. What they learned and taught gave way to the success that NASA had in getting Glenn to space (Casey, 2017). At NASA, mathematics and science were the foundation of exploring our universe, and getting the first men to space. The mathematics these women accomplished during this time was outstanding, and would have made the missions impossible without their precise and accurate data that they achieved. Though these women had a tremendous contribution. Their recognition and contribution to NASA’s success was lacking due to systemic and oppressive conditions they experienced during this time.
Johnson, Vaughn, and Jackson were intelligent mathematicians who performed very complex calculations by hand. Their calculations were always accurate and precise. This groundbreaking new mathematics and computer language broke barriers into new fields outside of NASA. Their work laid down a foundation for computational mathematics and algorithms. Some are used in aerospace engineering, other engineering fields, computer science, GPS systems, satellite communication, and other STEM fields (Casey, 2017). As NASA switched from hand calculations to computer calculations, they contributed and played very key roles in computer programing. Their experience and expertise in hand coding helped pave a way for advancements in computer science and software engineering. The development of computer programming languages and techniques are still used today.
History of Women in Computing
The hidden story of women’s contribution to the history of computing began in the late 1800’s, with the first computer program called the Charles Babbage computing machine. Ada Augusta Lovelace is credited with writing this program and becoming the first person to grasp the idea and possibilities that computing had to offer (Carpenter, 2017). Computing in the late 1800’s was seen as a women’s job. This was due to all the mathematics calculated by hand, with the aid of mechanical calculating devices in order to provide weather predictions and advancements in astronomy (Carpenter, 2017). In the 1920’s and 1930’s, universities implemented a quota system to keep women out of the fields of mathematics to ensure men kept these fields. During World War II, men went off to war leaving some of these doors open for women to learn and take over some of the jobs in these fields. After the war, these women were pushed back out of these fields for men to take back over including Langley Research Center, which was eventually the control center for NASA. These women continued to work behind closed doors at NASA, and eventually helped move from hand calculations aided by calculators to self-taught and proficient computer programmers. These “Hidden Figures” at NASA defied all odds and pressures which pushed these women out of the mathematics and computer profession.
Figure 4: Painting of Ada Augusta Lovelace, 1840, by Alfred Edward Chalon, First person to grasp the idea and possibilities that computing had to offer, and is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929
Breaking Down Barriers
Perhaps the most important part of these “Hidden Figures” through their achievements in the field of NASA was their breaking down of barriers and stereotypes. Though their work took place in the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s, it may seem that these types of barriers have disappeared. Though in reality, women are still facing the same type of barriers we see today. African American women make up for almost 7% of the United States (Ireland). Though, as of 2014, the proportion of Black women earning degrees in biological sciences (4.23%), computer sciences (2.61%), physical sciences (2.83%), mathematics and statistics (2.35%), and engineering (0.99%) remain disproportionately low (National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2017). Although there is a low proportion of women in these STEM fields, Johnson, Vaughn, and Jackson, helped pave the way for women and women of color in other STEM fields. They faced and conquered stereotypes for future generations, proving that women and minorities in science and technology fields can perform and achieve any goal or dream they have in these fields. Though their time at NASA over 60 years ago has long passed, their legacy continues to inspire and promote diversity in many STEM fields that may have stereotypes of who qualifies for those positions.
Conclusion
The start of the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States helped lead to the formation of NASA, which brought upon many new advancements in mathematics and science, as it served as the foundation to space exploration. The “Hidden Figures”, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson were very important pieces in what NASA has accomplished and where computer programming is today. Their determination and love of mathematics and science has led to improvements in technology in all STEM fields we see today, despite facing racial and gender barriers in the workforce. Women in computing can be traced back all the way to the late 1800’s. Though their work or contribution may not be heard of, women have always been involved in areas that seem male dominated. The most important part of these women at NASA during the Space Race were their accomplishments opened the door for many women in future generations across the country to promote diversity in STEM fields.
References
Albright, R. E., Devezas, T., Marchetti, C., Kahn, H., Modelski, G., Kondratieff, N. D., Schumpeter, J. A., & Harvey, B. (2012, January 5). The Struggle for Space: Past and future of the Space Race. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040162511002848?casa_token=wF3hl7wiRD8AAAAA%3AclZLze501OJdVdl8p30zet82VGk2UWnBBpPZZE-_Uij0sMjTQ77zS4-F-5VHkAgX9vfigsfrug
Casey, C. (2017, March). The Untold Story of NASA’s Trailblazers. Department of Astronomy, University of Texas, USA. https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/022/03/0317-0318
Carpenter, J. (2017, January). Review: Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. The College Mathematics Journal, Vol. 48, No. 1 (January 2017), pp. 64-68 (5 pages). https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.4169/collmathj.48.issue-2
Goldstein, H., & Goldstein, J. (2021, October 1). Artificial Intelligence education in medicine: Lessons from ‘Hidden Figures.’ Clemson University Libraries – Login. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.libproxy.clemson.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=a4ac3039-55f0-4b6a-b57b-27a9874a800a%40redis
Ireland, D. T., Freeman, K. E., Winston-Proctor, C. E., DeLaine, K. D., McDonald Lowe, S., & Woodson, K. M. (2018). (Un)Hidden Figures: A Synthesis of Research Examining the Intersectional Experiences of Black Women and Girls in STEM Education. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 226-254. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18759072
NASA. (2024, February 29). Guidelines for using NASA images and Media Guidelines. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/#:~:text=NON%2DCOMMERCIAL%20USE-,For%20educational%20or%20informational%20purposes,copyright%20in%20the%20United%20States.
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2017). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2017. Special report NSF 17-310. Arlington, VA. Author. Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/static/downloads/nsf17310-digest.pdf
image References
Chalon, A. (1840). Ada Lovelace, Science & Society Picture Library. Wikipedia Commons. Is in the Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ada_Lovelace_Chalon_portrait.jpg
NASA Image and Video Library (1979). Wikipedia Commons. By NASA and is in the Public Domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Jackson_1979_Portrait_(LRC-1979-B701_P-07085).jpg
NASA (1983). Wikipedia Commons.
AI Acknowledgement
I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT3.5 to generate summaries of articles used in research and to create an outline for which I could write this chapter. The prompts included are:
- “Summarize the following article…”
- “How did the hidden figures at NASA contribute to technology that we have today?”
- Generate an outline based on how Hidden Figures helped NASA and how they contributed to society today”
Using ChatGPT helped with making this chapter more efficient and generate ideas for research as well as generating a rough draft and outline.
