HAMPTON, Va. — On Wednesday, the Congressional Gold Medal will be awarded to the group of women who were crucial to the space race, collectively known as the "Hidden Figures."
They include Hampton native Mary Jackson, who was NASA's first Black female engineer. A medal will be presented to her family, as well as the families of Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, and Dorothy Vaughan.
They and other African American NASA mathematicians helped shape the early developments of the age of space exploration.
A fifth medal will commemorate all Hidden Figures who contributed to NASA's success between 1930 and 1970.