A group of Black female mathematicians, aeronautical engineers and human computers who made groundbreaking contributions to NASA during the 20th century space race were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday. The honorees included Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, whose work helped pave the way for the first American astronaut to successfully orbit Earth. All three women were honored posthumously.
A group of Black female mathematicians, aeronautical engineers and human computers whose groundbreaking work for NASA during the 20th century space race contributed to the nation's historic achievements were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
"These women dared to step into the fields where they had previously been unwelcomed. They excelled in science and math and made groundbreaking contributions in aeronautics. But these women didn't just crunch numbers and solve equations for the space program," Johnson said. "They actually laid the very foundation upon which our rockets launched and our astronauts flew and our nation soared.
The legacy and story of Jackson, Johnson and Vaughan was famously captured in the 2016 film "Hidden Figures," which was loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly's 2016 nonfiction book of the same name. In the film, Jackson was portrayed by Janelle Monáe, Johnson by Taraji P. Henson and Vaughan by Octavia Spencer.
NASA Space Race Black Women Mathematicians Congressional Gold Medal Hidden Figures
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