Gladys West, mathematician whose work paved the way for GPS, dies at 95

She navigated segregation to become an esteemed mathematician — and today, her work helps billions of people navigate the world.

By Bill Chappell

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/23/nx-s1-5685027/gladys-west-gps-mathematician

#science #technology #womeninstem

@gutenberg_org

A remarkable human being… rest in peace Gladys West.

Not for nothing, but we name all our engineering development model spacecraft ('flatsats') after phenomenal women pioneers in maths and any other technical discipline. The newest is Gladys, after pioneer Gladys West. Its hard to fathom the impact she's had on the world, yet few know of her. RIP.
@gutenberg_org wild how someone like her can create something everyone uses without ever being properly compensated, but then I gotta pay for the taxpayer funded COVID vaccine because a company bought a patent for it, but Spotify & AI doesn't have to pay for copyrighted works because individuals can't afford the legal fees to fight it.