These women of color — all mathematicians employed by NASA until the 1980s — made it possible for John Glenn, the American astronaut, to be put into orbit around the Moon. They also calculated his trajectory so that he could return to Earth!
American space research had begun recruiting women during World War II, as the men had gone off to the front. These female mathematics teachers were recruited through the city's Black newspaper. Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi, 2016) arrived on our screens (Twentieth Century Fox France) for International Women's Day. It tells the extraordinary story of the African-American women scientists who enabled the United States to dominate the space race — a story that remained little known for a long time. The film is excellent in every respect, even on the mathematical side!
