In 1979, she joined Langley’s Federal Women’s Program, where she worked hard to address the hiring and promotion of the next generation of female mathematicians, engineers and scientists. Jackson completed the courses, earned the promotion, and in 1958 became NASA’s first Black female engineer.ĭuring her two decade engineering career, she authored or co-authored research numerous reports, most focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around airplanes. She needed special permission to join the classroom in then-segregated Hampton High School. She started as a research mathematician who became known as one of the human computers at Langley.Īfter two years in the computing pool, and a stint in the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000 horsepower wind tunnel capable of blasting models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound, her supervisor recommended she enter a training program that would allow Jackson to earn a promotion from mathematician to engineer. In 1951, Jackson was recruited by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which in 1958 was succeeded by NASA. Jackson graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in math and physical sciences, and initially accepted a job as a math teacher in Calvert County, Maryland. “She was a scientist, humanitarian, wife, mother, and trailblazer who paved the way for thousands of others to succeed, not only at NASA, but throughout this nation.” Jackson,” said, Carolyn Lewis, Mary’s daughter. ![]() “We are honored that NASA continues to celebrate the legacy of our mother and grandmother Mary W. In 2016, author Margot Lee Shetterly wrote about the work the West Area Computing Unit achieved in her book “Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race.” The book was made into a popular movie that same year and Jackson’s character was played by award-winning actress Janelle Monáe. Jackson was the first African American female engineer at NASA and worked in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology,” Bridenstine said. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. on “Hidden Figures Way,” announced NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Wednesday. That’s the new name of the NASA headquarters building in Washington, D.C. ![]() Mary Winston Jackson (1921–2005) successfully overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become a professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations.
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