Grove English Communication Ⅲ
LESSON 18
NASA’s Hidden Treasures: Human Computers
At a time when most black women in the U.S. had difficulty finding good jobs, three black women helped NASA make great strides in space development. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson drew a path for future generations of women at NASA.
Until 1964, black people in America had not been allowed to use the same bathrooms, restaurant seats or bus seats as white people in most states due to segregation laws. In many industries, they could not get payments or promotions equal to white people. In addition, it was even more difficult for black women to get decent jobs as anything other than teachers or secretaries because of sexism and gender segregation.
During these difficult times, three African-American women made significant contributions to NASA as “human computers” who made calculations using pencils, slide rules, and adding machines. Without computers, they calculated the numbers that enabled NASA to launch rockets and astronauts into space. They helped break down racial and gender barriers and send American astronaut John Glenn into orbit around the Earth in 1961. They were true trailblazers of the space era.
Dorothy Vaughan (1910–2008) was a math teacher before joining NASA. She had grown up with segregation policies that required black people to work in a separate section. When she started working, all supervisors were white. But Dorothy became the first African-American supervisor at NASA in 1949. From 1949 until 1958, she was the head of NASA’s West Area Computing Unit, a group of black, female mathematicians. The black employees were not required to use separate dining and bathroom facilities from white employees anymore. Dorothy also made sure that other employees, black or white, received promotions or pay raises they deserved.
Mary Jackson (1921–2005) was a teacher before she joined NASA. She began working under Dorothy Vaughan as a “computer” for NASA’s West Area Computing Unit in 1951. From 1953, Mary worked for an engineer and did calculations involved in wind tunnels and flight experiments. Eventually, she entered a training program and was promoted from mathematician to engineer. In 1958, Mary became NASA’s first black female engineer. After thirty years, she became a specialist helping other women and racial minorities advance their careers.
Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) was great at math at a young age. She attended high school classes at age 13 and graduated from college with the highest honors. Katherine began working for NASA in 1953, and checked calculations done by a computer. She did trajectory analysis for astronaut Alan Shepard’s 1961 mission, America’s first human spaceflight. Back then, people did not trust computer calculations. Astronaut John Glenn even said he wouldn’t go on missions unless Katherine checked the calculations. In 2015, President Barack Obama—America’s first African-American president—gave Katherine the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in the U.S.
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In the midst of racial and gender segregation, how were these three black women able to be hired and work at NASA? In addition to their own efforts, the historical backdrop supported the three women. Let’s take a look at the chronology.
1941
U.S. President Roosevelt signed a law that banned racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination in the U.S. defense industry.
1957
The former Soviet Union launched the earth’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik I. This added pressure for NASA to succeed in space-related missions and increased the need for people who could calculate research data.
1958
NASA changed its name from NACA and stopped segregating facilities between white and black employees.
1964
The Civil Rights Act was passed, banning racial segregation in all public places.