Mary Jackson

Mary Jackson (1921–2005) was an American mathematician and aerospace engineer who became NASA's first Black female engineer.

She worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, later NASA) during the space race, initially as a "human computer" performing complex calculations.

Jackson's story gained wide recognition through the book and film *Hidden Figures*, which documented the contributions of Black women mathematicians at NASA.

Related

rocket science · segregation · Jim Crow · Langley · wind tunnel · trailblazer · physicist · civil rights · pioneer · African American · glass ceiling · breaking barriers · Hampton · Virginia · computing · Katherine Johnson · scientist · supersonic

Opposites
barrier-breaking vs. barrier-maintaining in STEM

Mary Jacksonsegregationist

Advocate for racial division

gatekeeper

marginalized achiever vs. privileged establishment figure

Mary JacksonWernher von Braun

German-American aerospace engineer

Thomas Edison · Albert Einstein

Family

Mary, Jackson, jack

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Mostly American · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G