posted 06-24-2020 01:05 PM               

NASA names headquarters building for 'hidden figure' Mary Jackson

NASA is recognizing one of its "hidden figures" by naming its main office after the first African American female engineer to work at the space agency.

The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C. honors the late Jackson, who became an engineer in 1958, the same year that NASA was founded. Largely unknown to the general public during her lifetime, Jackson's story was part of the focus of the 2016 feature film "Hidden Figures," with Janelle Monáe portraying the trailblazing engineer.

"Today, we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement on Wednesday (June 24). "Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space."

posted 06-24-2020 06:39 PM               

Mae Jemison:

Extremely pleased by the news that NASA HQ in Washington DC will be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American woman engineer at NASA!

[To NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine] I applaud your leadership and insight. Engineering, building dreams into reality, innovation and daring the what may be believed impossible are defined by Mary W. Jackson and at the heart of NASA!

Janelle Monáe (portrayed Jackson in "Hidden Figures):

!!!!!

Christina Koch:

So excited to hear about this! Mary Jackson broke through barriers and became a hero to so many, including me. NASA was lucky to have her on the team then and will continue to draw from her strength and skills as her legacy inspires and educates into the future.

Leland Melvin:

Congratulations Mary Jackson. Thanks for helping me and many others explore the Cosmos.

Michael Collins:

A wonderful acknowledgment.

posted 06-25-2020 01:46 PM               

Lucas Praises NASA Decision to Rename Headquarters after Hidden Figure Mary W. Jackson

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas released a statement today praising NASA's decision to name its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at the Agency.

"I applaud the decision to name the NASA headquarters building after Mary Jackson. During her career, she faced tremendous obstacles to success. She became the first female African American engineer at NASA, but to do so, she had to request special permission to attend classes at a segregated school. Along with the other Hidden Figures, Mary Jackson was not only a key part of America's achievements in the space race, but she also paved the way for future women and people of color at NASA."

"I was honored to work with Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson last year to write and pass a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Mary Jackson, along with Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Christine Darden, and all the female computers, mathematicians, and engineers of the space race. Naming the NASA headquarters after Mary Jackson honors her achievements and celebrates the diversity, too long unacknowledged, that makes our space program the best in the world."

posted 06-26-2020 04:30 AM            

With all due respect to the contributions made by Mary Jackson, NASA Headquarters? By selecting her the far, far greater contributions of a very long list of people are effectively belittled. Righting injustice is commendable, but I was always taught that two wrongs don’t make a right. This isn’t right.

posted 06-26-2020 07:12 AM            

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Originally posted by David C:
However as is often the case, the pendulum swings and overshoots. It’s swinging very quickly now and this is a massive overshoot.

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posted 06-26-2020 07:58 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by David C:
By selecting her the far, far greater contributions of a very long list of people are effectively belittled.

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Without diminishing Mary Jackson's own contributions, perhaps part of the point of naming NASA Headquarters for her is to recognize and represent all of the agency's "hidden figures," not just because of their gender or race, but because they were not an astronaut, a center director or administrator. Others may be credited with having achieved more, but without "human computers" and others like Jackson, who in their own way pushed their careers forward to advance the work of the space agency, the more prominent people from NASA's history would never have been able to do their job.

posted 06-30-2020 08:21 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Without diminishing Mary Jackson's own contributions, perhaps part of the point of naming NASA Headquarters for her is to recognize and represent all of the agency's "hidden figures"

And, as Armstrong pointed out, maybe that recognition can serve as a reminder for the public outside of the agency, who are generally only exposed to, and made consciously aware of, the relatively few people that NASA's activities elevate into the spotlight.

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posted 02-26-2021 05:25 PM               

NASA names HQ for former 'hidden figure' Mary W. Jackson

There is no way that Mary W. Jackson, NASA's first African American female engineer, could have known that the building she once trained in would someday bear her name.

In fact, she might have just assumed that no one would remember her name, let alone use it to honor her and the many other "hidden figures" whose work made NASA's early achievements in aeronautics and space exploration possible. But on Friday (Feb. 26), Mary W. Jackson became a central figure in NASA's identity.