Historic Recognition for Trailblazing Women in the Space Race
NEW YORK (AP) — At a special ceremony on Wednesday, Congress honored the unsung heroes of the space race with its most prestigious award, the Congressional Gold Medal. This honor was bestowed upon the families of four remarkable women: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden. Darden participated in the ceremony remotely from her home in Connecticut.
The award also recognized all women who served as mathematicians, engineers, and “human computers” for the U.S. space program between the 1930s and 1970s. Their contributions were pivotal in advancing America’s space exploration efforts.
Author Margot Lee Shetterly, whose book “Hidden Figures” was adapted into a successful film in 2016, commented, “By honoring them, we honor the very best of our country’s spirit,” highlighting the importance of their legacy.
During the 20th century, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics—NASA’s predecessor—employed hundreds of women to perform complex calculations essential for space missions. Many of these Black women worked within a segregated unit at what is now NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, breaking barriers in a challenging environment.
Katherine Johnson’s hand-written calculations played a crucial role in John Glenn’s historic 1962 flight, making him the first American to orbit the Earth. Due to her extraordinary achievements, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, recognizing her as one of the nation’s most distinguished civilians.
Dorothy Vaughan emerged as NASA’s first Black supervisor, while Mary Jackson made history as the agency’s first Black female engineer. Christine Darden is renowned for her groundbreaking research on sonic booms, further solidifying the impact these women had on aerospace engineering and mathematics.
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