NASA will be renamed after the first female African-American engineer, Mary Jackson. NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, spoke on the great news Wednesday, Jun. 24th. The headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.
Mary Jackson started her career during the most segregated times in the West Area Computing Unit in Hampton, Virginia. Not only was Jackson a mathematician, but she was an aerospace engineer.
She later led and organized programs that helped inspire other women in NASA’s science, engineering, and technology.
Mary Jackson was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019. Her story was told in the movie, “Hidden Figures” where Janelle Monaé brought her character to life, alongside Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughn.
During a statement, Bridenstine stated, “Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, and she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology,”
