Vaughan led was sequestered in a room with a sign outside that read “Colored Computers.” Still, Langley not only recognized the expertise of these women and offered them jobs based solely on their abilities but trusted them with the astronauts' lives. “Langley was an unusual place,” says , NASA’s chief historian. It was progressive, he says, and populated with scientists and engineers from all over the country who cared more about hard data than societal constructs. “To some degree, they could ‘get away with’ flouting social conventions of Tidewater Virginia because of this,” Barry says. “The conditions were ripe for this stereotype-shattering anomaly to happen.” Even now, Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson stand out as role models for women like , who climbed atop their shoulders to become one of NASA’s preeminent engineers and a leading expert in supersonic flight. Christine Darden works in the control room of a Langley wind tunnel in 1975. PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA Today, women—and especially minority women—continue to battle prejudice in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering and struggle to prove that their brains are every bit as good as a man’s. It’s a frustrating reality, but one that can be changed. “We hope that this story will inspire many young people to pursue education and their dreams,” Barry says. “After all, if there is one thing clear from our
Vaughan led was sequestered in a room with a sign outside that read “Colored Computers.” Still, Langley not only recognized the expertise of these women and offered them jobs based solely on their abilities but trusted them with the astronauts' lives. “Langley was an unusual place,” says , NASA’s chief historian. It was progressive, he says, and populated with scientists and engineers from all over the country who cared more about hard data than societal constructs. “To some degree, they could ‘get away with’ flouting social conventions of Tidewater Virginia because of this,” Barry says. “The conditions were ripe for this stereotype-shattering anomaly to happen.” Even now, Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson stand out as role models for women like , who climbed atop their shoulders to become one of NASA’s preeminent engineers and a leading expert in supersonic flight. Christine Darden works in the control room of a Langley wind tunnel in 1975. PHOTOGRAPH BY NASA Today, women—and especially minority women—continue to battle prejudice in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering and struggle to prove that their brains are every bit as good as a man’s. It’s a frustrating reality, but one that can be changed. “We hope that this story will inspire many young people to pursue education and their dreams,” Barry says. “After all, if there is one thing clear from our
historic_pictures_show_the_hidden_women_of_the_space_race.docx