Hidden Figures
Behind every astronaut in space, was a fleet of mathematicians known as "computers."
The early space program was powered by human computers who analyzed data. Most of these people were women, and many were Black. Their calculations helped America win the Space Race.
Redefining Computer
Until the 1950s, "computers" were not what we think of them today. "Computer" referred to people, mostly women, who analyzed data using mechanical calculators. The job of “computer” existed long before the space program.
The work of computers at NASA and its predecessor the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) was largely invisible. Their names never appeared on reports. However, they played an important role. A representative from the Curtiss Aircraft Company wrote in an 1942 memo, "The engineers admit themselves that the girl computers do their work more rapidly and accurately than they would."
Computers' salaries were low. They were paid between $1,440 and $1,620 in the 1940s—equivalent around $30,000 today. Women computers' salaries were up to 40% less than their male counterparts.
Unlike junior engineers who did similar work, computers did not have a path to promotion.
Computers were higher paid than secretaries and typists, other job opportunities open to women.
In a time when many women lost their jobs when they married, computers did not.
Segregation and Human Computers
Prior to World War II, white women worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, as well as other science and engineering organizations.
During World War II, however, a labor shortage forced these organizations to open positions to people of color. Brilliant Black mathematicians and engineers were hired at laboratories like Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
How were Black computers treated differently than their white counterparts?
Separate Seating
Due to the state of Virginia’s Jim Crow laws, black computers were required to sit in a segregated are, in Langley’s West Area. The group of Black women hired became known as “West Computers.”
Higher Requirements
Black applicants had to have more experience than their white counterparts to be hired. For instance, Black applicants were required to complete a chemistry course at the Hampton Institute.
Less Pay
Black computers were also paid less than their white counterparts.
Meet the Computers
Meet the real people who have become known as "hidden figures."
Author Margo Lee Shetterly nicknamed the women "hidden figures. " Shetterly's book about these women became an Academy Award-nominated movie of the same name.
The following are only a few of the people who worked as computers.
Mathematician Katherine Johnson did calculations for early human spaceflights including Alan Shepard’s flight as the first American in space in 1961 and John Glenn’s three orbits of Earth in 1962. She calculated the backup navigation charts on which Mercury astronauts would rely in case the guidance electronics in their capsules failed.
Dorothy Vaughan
Dorothy Vaughan became the first Black woman to hold a supervisory position at NASA with her leadership of the West Area Computing unit and helped the organization’s transition to computer programming. She taught herself to code in the programming language FORTRAN. As one of the earliest woman experts in the language, she taught it to her human computer colleagues.
Mary Jackson
May Jackson started as a computer in 1951. After working on the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel at the Langley Research Center, Jackson began a training program to be promoted to engineer. The training program meant she had to get special permission from the city of Hampton to take the required University of Virginia courses that were held in segregated Hampton High School. Jackson went on to become the first Black engineer at NASA.
Christine Darden began her career as a data analyst in the "computer pool" at the NASA Langley Research Center in 1967, where she later became an aeronautical engineer. She was one of the leading NASA researchers in the sonic boom and its relation to supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. She became the first Black woman at Langley to be promoted to Senior Executive Service, the federal civil service's top rank.
In Popular Culture
In 2016, the popular movie Hidden Figures cast a spotlight on the Black women who worked as computers on the Mercury missions. The film focused on Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson's stories.