Four black women who worked as scientists and mathematicians at NASA during the Space Race, popularly known as “Hidden Figures,” were awarded Congressional Gold Medals on Wednesday for their instrumental roles in the space program.
Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden received the medals, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress.
The four subjects in Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 book, “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race,” made progress in their fields despite intense segregation and racial inequality in the workplace.
“The pioneers we honor today, these Hidden Figures — their courage and imagination got us to the moon. And their lessons, their legacy, will send us back to the moon,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a ceremony at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. “By awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal, we honor their lives and work and ensure that they will continue to inspire Americans for years to come.”
Johnson played a key role in John Glenn’s first orbit around the Earth. The legendary astronaut asked Johnson to personally check the calculations, as he did not trust the computer’s work. When she gave the green light, he agreed to take the flight.
Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson were awarded the medals posthumously, while Darden watched from home as family members of the four pioneers accepted the honor. The recognition comes years after Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, now deceased, introduced a bill to honor the pioneers in 2019.
Also honored at Wednesday’s ceremony were all the women who worked as mathematicians and engineers for NASA from the 1930s through the 1970s. Their award was accepted by Andrea Mosie, a senior lab manager for NASA’s Apollo samples.
