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Hidden Figures: When Computers Wore Skirts Resources Hidden Figures When Computers Wore Skirts Internet Resources From Hidden to Modern Figures (https://www.nasa.gov/modernfigures) “They not only have the right stuff…they represent the full tapestry of America,” said NASA Administrator Bolden, introducing the 2013 astronaut candidates. “These next generation of explorers will be among those who plan and carry out the first human missions to an asteroid or on to Mars. Their journey begins now, and the nation will be right beside them reaching for the stars.” Hidden Figures is a movie based on actual events. While the movie dramatizes some aspects, it is true to the struggles of the women at the center of the story. The victories for racial and gender rights were not achieved easily or quickly, and our work is not done. Today, NASA strives to make sure their legacy of inclusion and excellence lives on. As seen in the movie Hidden Figures, NASA has a long-standing cultural commitment to excellence that is largely driven by data, including data about our people. And our data shows progress is driven by questioning our assumptions and cultural prejudices – by embracing and nurturing all the talent we have available, regardless of gender, race or other protected status, to build a workforce as diverse as its mission. This is how we, as a nation, will take the next giant leap in exploration. As a world leader in science, aeronautics, space exploration and technology, NASA has a diverse mission that demands talent from every corner of America, and every walk of life. With the human computers portrayed in Hidden Figures, NASA began leading the way in building a workforce as diverse as its mission – a workforce that will use the International Space Station to help put humans on Mars; make exciting discoveries about our universe; carry out research that will create greener, safer, quieter and faster air travel; monitor the health of our home planet; and develop cutting-edge technologies to explore our solar system and improve life on Earth. In the 1960’s, NASA was on an ambitious journey to the moon, and the human computers portrayed in Hidden Figures helped get us there. Today, NASA is on an even more ambitious journey to Mars. We are building a vibrant, innovative workforce that reflects a vast diversity of discipline and thought, embracing and nurturing all the talent we have available, regardless of gender, race or other protected status. Margot Lee Shetterly (http://margotleeshetterly.com/) Author of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. Shetterly is the founder of The Human Computer Project, an endeavor that is recovering the names and accomplishments of all of the women who worked as computers, mathematicians, scientists and engineers at the NACA and NASA from the 1930s through the 1980s. Hidden Figures When Computers Wore Skirts Internet Resources Human Computer at NASA Project (http://omeka.macalester.edu/humancomputerproject/) The Human Computers at NASA project is a student/faculty collaborative project at the Macalester College's American Studies Department that seeks to shed light on the buried stories of African American women with math and science degrees who began working at NACA (now NASA) in 1943 in secret, segregated facilities. The African American women are often referred to as the hidden Human Computers. With their contributions at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, the hidden Human computers paved a path for black women in the fields of STEM. This website is for the general public to learn about the untold story of when African American women were computers. In digging for their stories, The Human Computers at NASA project serves to educate the public about a part of the national history that is absent in our memory of NASA. The Human Computers at NASA project is a collaboration between Professor Duchess Harris, Margot Lee Shetterly, and their research assistants Lucy Short and Ayaan Natala ‘18. The digital archive was created with the assistance of the Macalester College Library staff: Johan Oberg, Lizzie Hutchins, and Terri Fishel. Additional assistance was provided by Rebecca Wingo, Macalester's 2015-2016 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Liberal Arts. The Changing Role of Race at NASA Langley (https://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Racial_Relations) From Computers to Leaders: Women at NASA Langley (https://www.nasa.gov/larc/from-computers-to-leaders-women-at-nasa-langley) “When the Computer Wore a Skirt:” Langley’s Human Computers 1935-1970 (https://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Human_Computers) “C-SPAN – Hidden Figures—September 8th, 2016—Margot Lee Shetterly (65 minutes) (https://www.c-span.org/video/?414833-1/margot-lee-shetterly-discusses-hidden-figures|) “Katherine Johnson Legacy—NASA Langley Research Center” (https://youtu.be/8g3AvxrVTic) “Friendship 7 50th Anniversary, February 20th, 2012” (https://youtu.be/E-lTPK5sQAA) NASA celebrates the 50th Anniversary of John Glenn's orbital space flight. Glenn's flight ushered in a new era for space travel. John Glenn, America's first astronaut to orbit Earth, launched aboard his Friendship 7 Mercury capsule on Feb. 20, 1962. At the end of the mission, Friendship 7 splashed down into the ocean and Glenn was honored by President John F. Kennedy and celebrated as a hero across America. .
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