Photo: NASA/JPL
Cover Photo: NASA/JPL

From aerodynamics, aeronautics, to mathematics, these women have proven their wit—and grit—in the realm of space exploration

Women play a huge role in the success of NASA's space programs, yet not many have learnt the names of these important women who have proven to be essential to the discovery of the unknown.

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As early as 1922, women have joined NASA (which was then named National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics or NACA) in its mission to help the first man land on the moon. Over the last few decades, the percentage of female employees at NASA has fairly increased.

These women were mathematicians, astronauts, engineers, computers, and supervisors.

Pearl Young, First Woman in NASA

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Photo: NASA
Above Photo: NASA

In 1922, the government agency hired Pearl Young, who was originally assigned to the Instrument Research Division, where she eventually reformed the way technical manuals and papers were written and dispersed.

Even after her retirement in 1961, Young remained productive and worked as the chief technical editor for almost 20 years.

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Angelita Castro-Kelly, First Female Missions Operations Manager

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Photo: Filipina Women's Network
Above Photo: Filipina Women's Network

The first woman to become Missions Operations Manager at NASA was Filipina physicist Angelita Castro-Kelly. 

Castro-Kelly was hailed from the Philippines, where she took up Mathematics and Physics at the University of Santo Tomas and graduated summa cum laude. She also helped develop the Shuttle Spacelab Data Processing Facility.

Josephine Santiago-Bond

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Photo: University of the Philippines / Facebook
Above Photo: University of the Philippines / Facebook

Josephine Santiago-Bond joined NASA in 2004 to work full-time in contributing to the design of space shuttle ground system operations, the Constellation subsystems design, and multiple lunar missions to name a few.

"I fell in love with the surroundings at KSC. The weather, the palm trees and the beach were reminiscent of my younger years in the Philippines. I fell in love with the passion of the people that I briefly worked with, and the exciting mission of the agency. This encouraged me to apply for the cooperative internship program, got accepted and upon graduation I was offered a job as an electronics engineer at KSC," she shared.

Over time, Santiago-Bond's experience shaped her into a leader and grew from an electronics engineer into a systems engineer.

Female Human Computers

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Photo: JPL
Above Photo: JPL

NASA soon hired the first group of female human computers in 1935.

Given that electronic computers were nonexistent by then, NASA needed great minds to work on all mathematical equations and computations by hand, a significant role known as human computers.

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When World War II broke out, forcing many men out of their seats to fight for their country, NASA hired women—including African American women—to help out.

The African American women were tasked to work in the West Area Computing Unit. Some might remember this section if one has seen the film, Hidden Figures.

Dorothy Vaughan, First African American Manager

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Photo: Courtesy Vaughan Family
Above Photo: Courtesy Vaughan Family

The first African American manager at NACA was none other than Dorothy Vaughan. One moment she was a math teacher, the next she's working as section head of the West Area Computing unit.

By 1958, Vaughan became an expert at FORTRAN, the computing language when she joined the Integrated Analysis and Computation Division. She also taught male engineers to use computers.

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Kathryn Peddrew

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Photo: NASA / Beverly Golemba
Above Photo: NASA / Beverly Golemba

Kathryn Peddrew was hired as a chemist as she graduated with a degree in Chemistry in 1943. However, upon learning that she was African American, Peddrew was assigned to the West Area Computers at Langley.

For 43 years, Peddrew was part of aeronautical and aerospace research, where she studied balance in the Instrument Research Division.

Vera Huckel

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Photo: NASA
Above Photo: NASA

Vera Huckel worked as a section head in 1945, handling up to 17 women. From mathematics to aerodynamics, Huckel worked on making aeroplanes that are safe and reliable.

She is the only person trusted to do the math; she tested sonic booms in supersonic flight and would travel to learn more about the mathematics of the test flights. 

Huckel even wrote the first program for the first electronic computer at NASA.

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Katherine Johnson

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Photo: NASA
Above Photo: NASA

Right after Katherine Johnson became part of the West Area Computing group, she joined the Maneuver Loads Branch of the Flight Research Division where she analysed flight trajectory and landing of several flights, including the historic Freedom 7 of Alan Shepard (the first United States human spaceflight) and John Glenn’s Friendship 7 (the first American orbital spaceflight).

By 1960, Johnson became the first woman in the division to receive author credit on a paper which was titled “Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite over a Selected Earth Position”. 

Mary Jackson, First African American Female Engineer

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Photo: NASA
Above Photo: NASA

It was 1951 when Mary Jackson joined the West Area Computing Unit. Three years later, Jackson joined another group that was working on the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel.

She soon decided to take up a training program run by the University of Virginia (UVA) to become an engineer but had to acquire approval from the City of Hampton, Virginia prior to taking the class, considering that classes were once segregated.

It wasn't long until Jackson became NASA's first African American female engineer, where she worked on supersonic research, including wind tunnels.

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Genevie Yang

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Photo: Mars Exploration Program
Above Photo: Mars Exploration Program

One of the minds working behind the historic Mars Perseverance mission is Genevie Yang, a Filipino-American engineer, who's working on surface operations. Yang, along with the team, landed the Perseverance rover which has now acquired its 8th rock sample.

She first worked on the Cassini Mission as a Systems Engineer working on updating the Flight Rule Documentation.

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Kitty O’Brien Joyner, First Female Engineer at NACA

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Photo: NASA
Above Photo: NASA

In 1939, NACA hired its first female engineer, Kitty O’Brien Joyner. 

She wanted to study engineering and went as far as suing the UVA to join the school and won the lawsuit to end the all-male admissions. Joyner became the first woman to graduate from the engineering program at the university. 

Holly Ridings, First Female Flight Director

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PHOTO DATE: 11-17-08LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - (Rooms)SUBJECT: STS-126 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift1) - (Subject)PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD X34753
Above PHOTO DATE: 11-17-08LOCATION: Bldg. 30 south - (Rooms)SUBJECT: STS-126 Flight Controllers on Console - (Orbit Shift1) - (Subject)PHOTOGRAPHER: BILL STAFFORD X34753

NASA's first female chief flight director is Holly Ridings. The mechanical engineer was appointed in 2018, and has since managed 32 active flight directors and directors-in-training who oversee human spaceflight missions. 

One can find Ridings at the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center, ensuring the safety of spaceflight crew members and handling upcoming missions.

Ridings might be the first female chief flight director to send humans to the moon in 2024.

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