Representative Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House (fifth from left) joins other members of Congress, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, "Hidden Figures" author Margot Lee Shetterly and members of the families of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden for the presentation of the "Hidden Figures" Congressional Gold Medals in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.(Image credit: U.S. Congress)

NASA's 'Hidden Figures' women awarded Congressional Gold Medals

'The women we honor today made it possible for earthlings to lift beyond the bounds of Earth.'

by · Space.com

Although they may never completely shed the label, the women who worked for NASA as human computers during the space race are no longer "hidden figures," and they now have a medal to prove it.

On Wednesday (Sept. 18), the women as a group and four individuals who have come to represent their collective experiences were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors in the United States. As authorized by Congress, the medals were bestowed to Christine Darden and posthumously to Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan.

A separate Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal was also dedicated to all of the women who worked as mathematicians and engineers at NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) and NASA between the 1930s and 1970s.

"These women didn't just crunch numbers and solve equations," said Rep. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. "They actually laid the very foundation upon which our rockets launched and our astronauts flew and our nation soared."

"So today, for all their contributions to the space program and to society, it is my great honor to award these women with a Congressional Gold Medal," Johnson said.

Five Congressional Gold Medals were bestowed to the women who worked as at NASA as mathematicians and engineers during the space race, including Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden, as well as one medal for all of the unnamed hidden figures.(Image credit: NASA)

Hosted by the Speaker, the ceremony brought together other representatives and senators, NASA officials and the families of Johnson, Jackson, Vaughan and Darden in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol in Washington. (Darden watched live from her home in Connecticut.)

Johnson Space Center (JSC): NASA's 'Houston'NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston has been the agency's human spaceflight hub for half a century, though not always under its current name.19 Jan 2018
NASA "Hidden Figures" — Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden — were each awarded Congressional Gold Medals for their service to the space program at the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.(Image credit: NASA)

Jackson was the first African American woman engineer at NASA. Later in her career, she worked to improve the prospects of NASA's female mathematicians, engineers and scientists as Langley's Federal Women's Program manager. She died in 2005 at the age of 83.

In 2021, NASA honored Jackson with the naming of its headquarters building in Washington.

Darden, who today is 82, became an engineer at NASA 16 years after Jackson, wrote over 50 articles on aeronautics design and was the first African American of any gender to be promoted into the Senior Executive Service at Langley.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of other women, both caucasian and Black, who were stationed at NASA's facilities and centers, performing calculations before electronic computers were available. Many of their names have been lost to history, though their role is now widely known.

In recognition of them all, the stretch of E Street running in front of the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building was named "Hidden Figures Way" in 2019.

"To all of the other women who served our country throughout NASA's history as computers, mathematicians, data analysts, engineers and scientists, women who are still largely hidden figures, women from all backgrounds and from all corners of our great nation, I am delighted that we are celebrating you today as well," said Shetterly.

"It is quite an honor and a privilege to be here, representing the many women of Apollo and the space program who dedicated their lives and talent to making sure the sky is never the limit," said Andrea Mosie, said senior Apollo sample processor and lab manager at Johnson Space Center. "Thank you for intentionally seeking diverse opinions for solutions to humanity's challenges of living off the planet."

The five Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medals as presented to Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Christine Darden and to the thousands of unnamed women who worked for NASA as computers, mathematicians and engineers.(Image credit: U.S. Mint/collectSPACE.com)
RELATED STORIES:

— What was the space race?

— NASA unveils 'Hidden Figures Way' at headquarters to honor female space icons

— Author Q&A: Margot Lee Shetterly reveals NASA's 'Hidden Figures'

The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act was first introduced in 2018 by the late Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) into the U.S. House of Representatives. A companion bill followed in the Senate as led by Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and then senator (D-Calif.) and now Vice President Kamala Harris.

Enacted in 2019, the Hidden Figures act directs that Vaughan's medal be provided to the Smithsonian for display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

Since 1776 and its presentation to George Washington, the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to individuals whose impact on U.S. history was likely to be recognized in the recipient's field for years to come. Only five other recipients have made contributions to space exploration: rocket pioneer Robert Goddard in 1959 and astronauts John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in 2011.

As directed by Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury determined the design for each of the Hidden Figures gold medals. The U.S. Mint has produced duplicates of the medals in bronze, which went for sale at the end of Wednesday's ceremony.

 Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2024 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

Get the Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors