![]() ![]() These African American women were sent to a segregated computing section known as the West Area Computing Unit, which was the center of the 2016 movie Hidden Figures. More and more women were needed to fill their roles, and soon African American women were hired to help with the shortfall. With the advent of World War II, many male employees at NACA left to fight overseas. Before electronic computers, all mathematical equations and computations would be done by hand by people, often known as human computers. In 1935, the first group of female human computers were hired. While these numbers may sound small, this is a significant increase in female employees at NASA compared to the last few decades. ![]() ![]() As of 2017, 37% of new hires are female and 50% of the newest class of astronauts were women. As of 2012, women made up one third of all employees including 30% of supervisors and 20% of engineers. They have made lasting impacts and helped land a man on the moon. They have played important roles such as mathematician, computer, astronaut, engineer, and supervisors. Women have been an integral part of NACA/NASA operations since 1922. The following year, the NACA became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, otherwise known as NASA. After the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957, the US feared they would fall behind in technology. The NACA continued to grow and boomed during World War II, testing new aircraft, including supersonic flight. In 1920, the NACA expanded with its first research and testing facility, the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, in Hampton, Virginia. The NACA started as an advisory committee to the president. The beginnings of NASA can be traced back to 1915 with the creation of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). ![]()
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