Monday, 29 June_On Wednesday (June 24), NASA announced that it has named its main office in Washington, D.C. after Mary W. Jackson.
Largely unknown to the general public during her lifetime, Jackson's story was highlighted in the 2016 feature film "Hidden Figures," with Janelle Monáe portraying the trailblazing engineer.
Jackson was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in math and physical sciences, and ultimately began a career at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (today, Langley Research Center) in 1951.
Jackson, who was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia, graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in math and physical sciences. Initially taking a job as a math teacher, she worked as a bookkeeper, married and started a family, and served as a secretary for the Army before beginning her career at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (today, Langley Research Center) in 1951.
Recruited by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Jackson worked as a "human computer" in the segregated West Area Computing Unit at Langley. After two years supporting the center's aeronautics work as a research mathematician, Jackson went to work in the 4-foot by 4-foot Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000 horsepower wind tunnel capable of blasting models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound.
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