The African-American women behind NASA's rocket launches

A group of women at NASA called "human computers," many of them black, helped put a man on the moon. Their intellect was an essential part of America's ability to launch rockets into space. Jan Crawford shows us how they were relegated to a footnote in history -- until now.

[@c.m.9033]

What an amazing story! It's unfortunate that we have to learn history from a movie, but so glad that this story is finally being told!

[@allisonwentworth401]

There's also the wonderful bestselling book, HIDDEN FIGURES. Amazing.

[@ridgebackdk]

only one of many i would imagine....

[@shankmmcgee]

Christine Mann Darden is from my hometown of Monroe, NC. I remember reading about here in Ebony and Jet magazines when I was in middle school. Thanks to Mrs. Darden for putting Monroe, NC on the map with her BRILLIANT MIND. I remember her coming home to Black's Memorial Presbyterian Church. She like Mrs. Katherine Johnson received numerous awards and accolates. It is strange that very few people had knowledge about these Human Computers. I knew she was at NASA, but maybe I didn't know how magnificent she has been to the Space Program. THANK YOU LADIES !!!!!! Mrs. Margaret Williams Lunn

[@Denise6000-cs4mo]

I personally never knew about this part of our history, and was surprised to find out that there were ANY black folks employed at NASA at that time in history. I recently was reading up on Emory Mallick, who was the first black person in the United States to earn a pilots license. Also, Bessie Coleman who was the first Black woman to earn a pilot's license (in the United States) and the first woman in history to get a license to fly transcontinental, even before Amelia Earhart! And this was even before the Tuskegee Airman. There are so many facets of our history that have been lost, buried, covered up or forgotten.

[@jordansmith1046]

There were other events that are not known by the public like how a group of black midshipmen achieves equality back in 1975 & 1976 at the United States Naval Academy. (See annapoliscreed.com).

[@emzywillrich7243]

Imagine being blessed with both beauty and brains and born in a Jim Crow Texas where you had to take a bus to another city to attend high school because your own hometown didn't allow you to attend the local school. My mother was the first one in her family to graduate from high school in 1947. She married a WWII veteran and raised seven children. She raised us to take advantage of the opportunities she was denied, telling us, she wouldn't have had seven children had she became the Historian she wanted to be. Since I was the third child born, I calculated that had she not been denied her ambitions due to racism, at the most, if she had married at all as a professional woman, she may have had two children at the most. So, I always thought that racism did me a favor! LOL

[@zahemi914]

thanks for the movie... i also never heard of the three remarkable women if it wasnt for the movie.

[@sandyhunter3040]

Hidden Figures is one of my favorite movies would watch it any time it's on TV, which is rare for me, it's that good !

[@abba3629]

More of these Stories should be told. INSPIRING.

[@loushelton1596]

I like how the Astronaut gives credit to Katherine Johnson in understanding the major role that she fulfilled.

[@randythirdsun4955]

THIS IS HOW THE PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT

[@rushbcyka460]

The Pyramids were built by respected Egyptian workers and a few slaves they measured using circles and used elaborate pully systems to move the large blocks

[@HITBnn]

Pyramids were built by Egyptians not blacks

[@muurisoras5878]

Why do people like bringing each other down ? Why cant we let everybody to excel in whatever field they can and that will make a better world

[@Jenjen-qc5eq]

Because intelligence is seen as 'power' they feel threatened by the educated and intelligent blacks.

[@John-mf6ky]

@@Jenjen-qc5eq, Who's they? Seems like you're generalizing as well. Not all minds think alike.. I do agree with the sentiment though ✌️♥️

[@jeremyv4636]

Such a lovely story and they tell it so well....

[@davebl9645]

They should make a movie about how many Canadians were recuited to work on the space program in the 50s!

[@orion6372]

Go away

[@goodcookgaming5352]

"...small band of black women..." *shows an big army* XD good movie tho

[@zahrasuleiman924]

The black women since nile valley civilisation was always beautiful looking scientist. It was the black women who helped ancient father of science imhotep with his formulas. Just like it was black women who invented and structure the NHS system in UK.

[@mugodasimon]

But Zahra, Ms Kathrene is too light skinned to be called "Black" does she have Some Caucasian DNA

[@mugodasimon]

@@zahrasuleiman924 thanks for your detailed reply

[@zahrasuleiman924]

@@mugodasimon you know what family we as the oldest human beings must re- learn what we knew before about the original and first shades which was deep brown and medium brown, then all other shades of black came from those 2 shades. peace and bless

[@zahrasuleiman924]

@Tiuz Kanggz speaking the truth about facts and making distinguish between false and truth is what a Muslim who fears his or her lord

[@thebeatnumber]

@@zahrasuleiman924 Really? Because the Quran is a book of lies, ignorance and distortion.

[@jellyace4014]

Yesterday was my first time to watched hidden figures. It was absolutely riveting that i ended up here to this vid

[@Yamoshi0]

Amazing story and history.

[@cbrooks11221]

Amen the time is here finally!

[@Mario500NOW]

The words "black" and "African-American" should not be used synonymously since any person of any complexion could have had African ancestors. Personally I would not want to use either one of those words in reference to what some folks would call "race", especially "African-American", since it seems to suggest dual citizenship between an African country and an American country.

[@davidelliott1594]

+Mario500NOW But "black" is not a complexion. Black is a "culture" in the United States which includes black people of various complexions. If you've ever traveled to East or West Africa, you will find many black people of a multitude of varying complexions there as well. In reference to the term African American, to me it suggests an American of African historic heritage. The same way Italian-American and Irish-American does not evoke the idea that a person is directly from Italy and Ireland, otherwise they would be simply Italian or simply Irish with no American hyphen. Many Italians and Irish call themselves these terms despite having been Americans for generations, it's a historic ethnic identity. In fact, the "hyphenated American" originated with European immigrants. It is simply the way the United States is within its own borders. We are only ALL Americans when compared to people who are not American.

[@Ojdahprnce]

Mario500NOW I use Brown American frl frl

[@umla1824]

C'est vraiment incroyable. It's amazing. Subhanallah la puissance. Really Incredible.

[@alphonsodeltoro260]

Wake up America and give overdue recognition and honor to these great blacks that have contributed so much to our country.

[@yinkoos]

America is confronting her past and making the necessary repairs to the history that obscured this people.

[@jws1948ja]

What a revelation. . .

[@my_name_is_nat]

Amazing woman.

[@victoriaromero9929]

Traducción en castellano sería jenial ,que interesante.!!⚘

[@DARisse-ji1yw]

Guess who checked their work ....

[@covertLLC]

They checked the computer's work because the scientists didn't yet trust the new computer's calculations... That's the point dip face🙄🙄

[@ydela1961]

Reality!

[@jermainelatimer804]

It's like no matter how much we know or do, the White Man still gets all the credit.

[@corlisscarter3795]

Excellent Movie! Kudos to these God-gifted women! Truly Inspiring Story! God is Good and He deserves all of the Praise, Glory, and Honor for this! Praise the Lord!!! None of this could have been possible without God!!! Amazed at the Awesome Power of God!!! To God Be The Glory for the things He Has Done!!!

[@Rusty571000]

Let me get this straight. A German scientist surrendered to the Americans rather than be captured by the Russians during the fall of Berlin. That German came over to the United States and started building rockets for us after building them for the Nazis sending those rockets across the English channel to England one after another. This guy was such a genius both the Russians and us wanted him bad. And we're supposed to believe that if it wasn't for these women we might not have been successful in space?

[@cappriment]

No Rusty, these women were a major part of one piece of the story, along with many others. We know about the others, but these women were marginalized because of Jim Crow and the fact they were Black. If the story was not true, I think NASA would not have allowed it to be produced, nor would NASA have a building after Mrs Johnson!

[@SI29222]

It takes the entire team of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to get people into space. Everyone was an important cog in the wheel, including these women.

[@yinkoos]

Yep the trajectory plotted by this women allowed astronauts to leave the orbit A rocket would have been flying round and round the earth without the right trajectory

[@williebeans656]

there is a difference between launching a rocket .. and having the same rocket launch be guided through space .. then maneuver it back to earth ..

[@yinkoos]

My understanding is that calculating a trajectory into space allows the rocket to leave orbit into space. What do you think were the role of these women?

[@lerinnenatalia]

You know Stacey Dash didnt like this one. lololol. But this is the exact reason why she, and people like her need education on why phrases like "Black" and "African American" are used today and not derogatory or divisive. I myself never knew or heard of this story behind NASA before. There were several scenes in the movie were Catherine "Tarajis character' literally had to run for 40 minutes just to use a colored only bathroom. She is mathmatically gifted, has a mind that is beyond any of the other minds in the room, shes freakin helping the Space Task Force calculate an accurate launch and landing inside and outside of the earths atmosphere using parabolic equations and formulas and whatnot, and she cant even use the same damn bathroom as them thats a few steps away because shes BLACK. She had to run 40 min away to the nearest colored only bathroom. smh. This is a part of Americas history, its a part of African American history. To say that doesnt matter because it was a long time ago, is like saying the first man on the moon doesnt matter because it happened a long time ago. After all,The story was definitely not a down and out tale, it was so pleasantly surprising and such an uplifting movie in an otherwise VERY downward spiraling world.

[@covertLLC]

Why are you so angry??? Clearly, NASA did need them or there wouldn't be a story or a whole movie about it...🙄🙄🙄 People like you are the reason the world sucks so bad.

[@lucillegreen4779]

is history research these women and the contribution that they gave to history and the black women open education hand in history any one of these women could have been my mother

[@stanleystonehouse636]

That's a good way to patronize people but many people were involved.

[@josephadams3644]

these woman bear witness that we did land on the moon.

[@brandycoke713]

What other work or things black people have done that they were kept hidden out of or from public view

[@mikekincaid7412]

After seeing Numbers Matter I wanted to apologize to every black person I meet for all the crap they had to go through.. sorry my grandparents did this you guys..

[@jessicasimplicioreis3824]

Mt bom kk...🎅😜😝🤪😎😁😇🤑

[@zacariasfilipe5638]

There's no African -American but African or American.

[@evanachterberg1547]

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[@il3136]

she is a true hero

[@19BenZ57]

from PERSIA ArmeniA IsraeL GeorgiA with Passion ...Y so late ?!

[@gast128]

We may all be grateful for her contribution to the space race but there are literally thousands of other anonymous engineers and technicians who made it possible.

[@summcqs]

Because our history was left out of the history books. There was one astronaut that would not go into space until this lady calculated his numbers. And I don’t care what she look like she was a black lady that lived her life in a black community. So get over it

[@amidwestchick]

rocket launches to no where...

[@lissaleggs4136]

Just a wealth of misinformation aren't you...

[@isabel-ml7qq]

please be educated before actually commenting these things !!

[@Timerips]

Katherine Johnson not afrian

[@kaleahcollins4567]

Why they showing them white women when they speak on Black women in NASA

[@manolitosibonga7895]

7

[@charleslloyd4253]

Don't you mean NASA has a menstruation person? You are going to get it from AOC.

[@wilhelmhesse1348]

Most of those women in thumbnail don't look black

[@thecraplordsell4575]

Because it’s not them lol

[@toko631]

Maths your ither rite or your wrong and the spirit of the world is wrong but the spirit of the church is rite...you do the maths ...that's rite I said it..

[@erichuff8207]

You mean spirit of God not a building

[@DarkyThe1]

"african american" .. looks white af

[@ant7316]

Stereotypical kid

[@buckeyewill2166]

Chris Rollins ....Typical Right Wing Reactionary Conservative

[@ricossuave9112]

This is proof America is great 🇺🇸😎

[@Deeznutz002]

Yeah statistic analysis.