NASA's 'Hidden Figures' awarded Congressional Gold Medal for groundbreaking work
Source: ABC News/GMA
September 18, 2024, 5:07 PM
A group of Black female mathematicians, aeronautical engineers and human computers whose groundbreaking work for NASA during the 20th century space race contributed to the nation's historic achievements were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
The honorees were recognized with the nation's highest civilian honor and include three women who became known as NASA's "Hidden Figures" -- NASA's first black female engineer Mary Jackson and mathematicians Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan -- whose work helped pave the way for the first American astronaut to successfully orbit the Earth.
All three women were honored posthumously on Wednesday, with their families attending the ceremony to accept the awards on their behalf.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who delivered opening remarks during the ceremony, described the women as "giants on whose shoulders all of those astronauts actually stood at a time … when our nation was divided by color and often by gender."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/nasa-hidden-figures-awarded-congressional-gold-medal/story?id=113772549
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