Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose orbital mechanics calculations were critical to early NASA missions. She verified flight trajectories for Project Mercury and the Apollo 11 moon landing, helping ensure mission safety and success.
Dorothy Vaughan
Dorothy Vaughan was a mathematician and supervisor who became NASA's first Black section chief. She led the West Area Computing unit and later taught herself and her team Fortran, positioning them for roles in early electronic computing.
Mary Jackson
Mary Jackson was an engineer who worked at NASA's Langley Research Center. She advocated for women and minorities in technical careers, became NASA's first Black female engineer, and later focused on equal opportunity programs.
These three women played essential roles in aerospace history. Their work advanced NASA's engineering and mathematical capabilities during the Space Race. For more details, see the official NASA overview of Hidden Figures at https://www.nasa.gov/topics/history/hidden-figures.html
