Lesser-Known Players on the Apollo 11 Team: Mary Jackson
Jackson, a mathematician, aerospace engineer, and badass barrier breaker, was NASA’s first black female engineer. She worked at Langley Research Center in Virginia and was one of the women whose stories were depicted in the hit film Hidden Figures.
Jackson’s equations helped the U.S. safely get a man on the Moon. For her tireless work, she was given the Apollo Group Achievement Award. Jackson retired from NASA in 1985 and passed away in early 2005.
(courtesy of POPULAR MECHANICS, 7 24 19)