Hidden Figures

In March 1958, the US government wants to make sure Americans know space exploration is in the best interest of everybody for reasons that include national defense, global prestige, and the opportunity to expand human knowledge. Katherine and her colleagues at Langley try to learn everything they can about space, using their knowledge of flying vehicles to teach themselves how to build spacecraft. They all know they are facing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Katherine gets the chance to advance in her career by preparing charts and equations for space technology lectures. She uses what she’s learned under Dr. Claytor to write a textbook for space travel in real time. She wants to go to the lectures and editorial meetings where important scientific research reports are reviewed, scrutinized, and stress-tested, but she is not granted entry because she is a woman.

Langley’s research process is incredibly grueling. The authors of reports at the NACA face off against four or five experts on their topic. After they present their findings, the researcher has to answer many questions and comments. The point is to find any inaccuracies, inconsistencies, or illogical statements buried in the text. After that, the report is subject to intense critical review of its grammar and clarity. It can take months or years for a scientific report to make it to publication.

Katherine sits with the engineers outside these meetings and asks many, many questions about the scope of their work. She also asks why she isn’t allowed to attend the editorial meetings. When they tell her it just isn’t done, she continues to press the issue.

In 1958, women have to balance being coy with being aggressive. Men analyze the data women produce but they don’t think of women as peers. Women are interested in the work the men do but they are not allowed to do it. The most ambitious women have to strategize to advance in their careers. Katherine’s confidence drives her to fight until she is finally allowed to join the editorial meetings of the Guidance and Control Branch of Langley’s Flight Research Division, which will soon become the Aerospace Mechanics Division of NASA.