John C. Varner IIIFeb 2, 2023
The next time you use any navigation device, software or Google Maps thank Dr. Gladys West. Her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of Earth, and her work on the development of the satellite models that were eventually incorporated into  the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. #BlackMastodon #BlackHistoryMonth
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@LilHulkQ
Show threadMeteorología y Climatología

@rlpaulprodn

"Jeanette Scissum joined NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1964 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Alabama A&M University. Scissum published a NASA report in 1967, “Survey of Solar Cycle Prediction Models,” which put forward techniques for improved forecasting of the sunspot cycle. In the mid-1970s she worked as a space scientist in the Space Environment Branch of Marshall’s Space Sciences Laboratory and later ...."

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/feature/where-the-past-meets-the-present-marshall-figures-recognized

Where the Past Meets the Present: Marshall Figures Recognized

On Sept. 27, at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama, the past met the present and planned for the future as Jeanette Scissum-Mickens, a retired NASA Marshall Space Flight Center scientist, was recognized by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and current Marshall mishap investigation specialist Ruth Jones told her own story and moderated a panel.

NASA
Feb 3, 2023 at 12:13pmWeb
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@PClimatologia - There's so much to say about this. This will probably be a thread. First, the article is wrong in that it says Jeanette was "the first African-American mathematician hired at NASA." She was the first African-American *Woman* mathematician hired at NASA. The first Black mathematician hired at NASA in Alabama was Clyde Foster. You'll notice that the article says, "The event was held at the Clyde Foster Multipurpose Room" at Alabama A&M. More on Clyde in my next post.
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcFeb 3, 2023
@PClimatologia - The picture of Clyde in my last post shows him standing with a student who is working at a computer. Clyde started the first BS degree program in computer science in the state of Alabama. He did that at an HBCU, which is remarkable in itself. The woman sitting at the computer in that picture of Clyde is Gloria Hullett-Smith. She was a pioneer, herself.