Dorothy Vaughan performed complex computations and analyzed data for aerospace engineers, work that was later essential to the success of the early U.S. space program. She was the first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
What was Dorothy Vaughan’s job?
What did Mary Jackson do?
Mary Jackson was a mathematician and aerospace engineer. In 1951 she joined the West Computers unit—made up of African American female mathematicians—at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The women provided data that were later essential to the early success of the U.S. space program. In 1958 Jackson became the first Black female engineer at NASA. In 1979 she left engineering and took a demotion to become manager of the women’s program at NASA. In that post, she sought to improve the opportunities for all women at the organization. She retired in 1985.