NASA employees whose biographies are the subject of the book and film Hidden Figures have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal

Photo: Congressional Gold Medal Honoring NASA Women

Four NASA women who played a significant role in the first American space flights have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

The highest civilian award in the United States, announced on behalf of Congress, was presented on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 18. According to the NASA website, the award was given to Katherine Johnson “for service to the United States as a mathematician,” Christine Darden “for service as an aeronautical engineer,” and Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson “in recognition of their contributions to the country during the space race.” Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson were awarded posthumously; Darden, who turns 83 this year, watched the ceremony from home.

House Speaker Mike Johnson presents the Congressional Gold Medal to Joylette Hilick, left, and Katherine Moore, daughters of Katherine Johnson, who has received the nation's top civilian award.

“Today we honor the pioneers – these Hidden Figures,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said ahead of the ceremony. –

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In his speech, the space agency administrator mentioned a phrase that is a reference to the title of the book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, written by author Margot Lee Shetterly in 2016. The book tells the story of NASA employees who played a significant role in preparing the first U.S. space flights.

In 2016, a film adaptation of the book was released, starring Taraji Henson as Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Vaughan, and Janelle Monáe as Jackson. The film received numerous nominations for film awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA.

The law that provides for the nomination of female NASA employees for the award was signed into law in 2019. The text of the law states that in the 1940s, NASA began hiring African-American women to work on space mission calculations. For example, Katherine Johnson calculated the flight path of the Freedom 7 spacecraft, during which Alan Shepard became the first American in space (we are talking about the manned debut within the Mercury program in 1961).

Christine Darden, in turn, became the first African-American woman to receive a leadership role at Langley, one of NASA's oldest research centers. At the agency, she was involved, among other things, in projects to minimize the effects of sonic booms during aircraft flights.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga