The Value of Mathematics as Demonstrated by NASA’s Human Computer Women
Abstract
In this paper, the relevance of mathematics in America’s early years of space exploration
will be highlighted as well as the prominent figures in the field that made critical contributions to
the country’s advancement in the space industry. Specifically, this paper will be concerned with
the Space Race period and the contributions of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA) African American human computer women. Books and articles from
online libraries, databases, and organizations were examined to find information supporting the
claim that the nation’s progression in the Space Age would have been vastly different if it were
not for the accomplishments of these women.
Introduction
America’s triumph in the Space Race was accomplished over the course of many years
through thousands of moving pieces and complex systems. For NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong
to have taken footsteps on the Moon’s surface along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, they
needed spacecraft to take them there, the Columbia and the Eagle. In order for these spacecrafts
to succeed in transporting these astronauts (Armstrong and Aldrin) to the Moon, the designers of
the Apollo 11 mission needed to know the best route to take from Earth launch to Earth landing,
with a Lunar landing and launch in between. This required extensive knowledge about many
characteristics of the problem, such as (but not limited to) distances, speeds, velocities, and
trajectories, all of which could be thoroughly solved through one of the most valuable subjects in
space exploration: mathematics.
Not only was the knowledge of mathematics critical to identifying the optimal route for
the Apollo 11 mission, but it was also critical in keeping the spacecraft and astronauts inside it
, safe. Mathematics enabled the mission’s scientists and engineers to confirm the spacecraft’s
ability to withstand the extreme environment it operated in as well as the astronaut spacesuit’s
ability to protect the user while in those same environments. Just as the previous problem of
determining the optimal mission route had characteristics that needed to be solved, the abilities
of the spacecraft and spacesuits did too, such as (but not limited to) distribution of heat, efficient
flow of fuel, strength of materials, distribution of air, frictional forces, and integration of thrust
with respect to a changing mass. All of these required the tools from many disciples of science,
which all require the formulas and theory from mathematics to solve.
In today’s world, almost (if not all) of these problems are solved by state-of-the-art
computers, capable of performing calculations more efficiently than any group of
mathematicians ever could. However, for NASA’s predecessor organization, the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), their “state-of-the-art” computers were not
mechanical. They were human, female, African American, and became immortalized in history
as the West Area Computers. This name refers to the group of mathematicians employed by the
Langley Research Center of NACA from 1943 through 1958. They were responsible for
analyzing data pertinent to aircraft testing, supersonic flight research, and space missions.
Goals
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of mathematics in space
exploration, especially in the early years of NASA during the most captivating competition in
space age history: the Space Race. Additionally, this paper will highlight some of NASA’s most
prominent figures in the field of mathematics as well as explore their contributions that drove
America’s space age forward. Of particular interest are the African American human computers
Abstract
In this paper, the relevance of mathematics in America’s early years of space exploration
will be highlighted as well as the prominent figures in the field that made critical contributions to
the country’s advancement in the space industry. Specifically, this paper will be concerned with
the Space Race period and the contributions of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA) African American human computer women. Books and articles from
online libraries, databases, and organizations were examined to find information supporting the
claim that the nation’s progression in the Space Age would have been vastly different if it were
not for the accomplishments of these women.
Introduction
America’s triumph in the Space Race was accomplished over the course of many years
through thousands of moving pieces and complex systems. For NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong
to have taken footsteps on the Moon’s surface along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, they
needed spacecraft to take them there, the Columbia and the Eagle. In order for these spacecrafts
to succeed in transporting these astronauts (Armstrong and Aldrin) to the Moon, the designers of
the Apollo 11 mission needed to know the best route to take from Earth launch to Earth landing,
with a Lunar landing and launch in between. This required extensive knowledge about many
characteristics of the problem, such as (but not limited to) distances, speeds, velocities, and
trajectories, all of which could be thoroughly solved through one of the most valuable subjects in
space exploration: mathematics.
Not only was the knowledge of mathematics critical to identifying the optimal route for
the Apollo 11 mission, but it was also critical in keeping the spacecraft and astronauts inside it
, safe. Mathematics enabled the mission’s scientists and engineers to confirm the spacecraft’s
ability to withstand the extreme environment it operated in as well as the astronaut spacesuit’s
ability to protect the user while in those same environments. Just as the previous problem of
determining the optimal mission route had characteristics that needed to be solved, the abilities
of the spacecraft and spacesuits did too, such as (but not limited to) distribution of heat, efficient
flow of fuel, strength of materials, distribution of air, frictional forces, and integration of thrust
with respect to a changing mass. All of these required the tools from many disciples of science,
which all require the formulas and theory from mathematics to solve.
In today’s world, almost (if not all) of these problems are solved by state-of-the-art
computers, capable of performing calculations more efficiently than any group of
mathematicians ever could. However, for NASA’s predecessor organization, the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), their “state-of-the-art” computers were not
mechanical. They were human, female, African American, and became immortalized in history
as the West Area Computers. This name refers to the group of mathematicians employed by the
Langley Research Center of NACA from 1943 through 1958. They were responsible for
analyzing data pertinent to aircraft testing, supersonic flight research, and space missions.
Goals
The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the importance of mathematics in space
exploration, especially in the early years of NASA during the most captivating competition in
space age history: the Space Race. Additionally, this paper will highlight some of NASA’s most
prominent figures in the field of mathematics as well as explore their contributions that drove
America’s space age forward. Of particular interest are the African American human computers
