Computation Division News Today

Dorothy Vaughan, née Dorothy Johnson, (born September 20, 1910, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.—died November 10, 2008, Hampton, Virginia), American mathematician and computer programmer who made important contributions to the early years of the U.S. space program and who was the first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 1917 Johnson’s family moved from Missou...

Black scientists have contributed to society and made groundbreaking discoveries throughout history and continue to do so to this day. Heres a look at just a few of the amazing Black scientists from

From the first female engineer being hired in 1939 all the way to the first-ever all-female spacewalk in 2019, women have been integral to advancing NASA.

As NASA prepares to send the first person of color to the moon, it serves as a stark reminder of the space agency’s long road toward embracing diversity and inclusion.

Who was Dorothy Johnson Vaughan? Dorothy Johnson Vaughan worked as a mathematician on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that sent America’s first satellites into space. Vaughan was an African American mathematics teacher who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry. After the U.S. defense industry desegregated, Vaughan worked with leading computer operators and engineers, becoming an expert in the FORTRAN programming coding language at NASA. She ...