Mary Jackson (engineer)
Mary Winston Jackson (born April 9, 1921 in Hampton , Virginia ; died February 11, 2005 there ) was an American engineer . As a scientific employee at NASA , she made significant contributions to aerospace technology at the time of the " space race ".
Live and act
Mary was the daughter of Frank C. Winston and Ella Scott Winston. She grew up in Hampton and studied mathematics and physics at the Hampton Institute . After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1942, she worked as a teacher for several years. In 1951, Mary Jackson began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), NASA's predecessor organization. At the same time, she continued her aerospace engineering training at the University of Virginia . At Langley Research Center , she conducted aeronautical tests with models in a wind tunnel . She later worked for NASA's human resources department and campaigned for the advancement of women. Jackson retired in 1985 after working for NASA for 34 years.
In her spare time, Mary Jackson was involved in educational projects. She founded a science club for black young people and helped build a small wind tunnel to arouse their interest in aviation through experiments with young people. With her husband Levi Jackson, Mary had a son named Levi and a daughter named Carolyn Marie.
Honor
In June 2020, NASA named a building in Washington after her.
Biography
Mary Jackson is one of the main characters in the biographical feature film Hidden Figures , which is based on Margot Lee Shetterly 's book of the same name. She is played by Janelle Monáe .
literature
- Margot Lee Shetterly : Hidden Figures - Unrecognized heroines . HarperCollins, Cologne 2017, ISBN 978-3-95967-084-5 (English: Hidden Figures. The Untold Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race . New York City 2016. Translated by Michael Windgassen).
- Portrait in Ebony magazine August 1977.
Web links
- Obituary in the Daily Press on February 13, 2005, accessed November 25, 2016
- Biography on NASA website, accessed February 12, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ orf.at, June 25, 2020
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jackson, Mary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Winston Jackson, Mary (full name); Winston, Mary (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 9, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hampton (Virginia) |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 11, 2005 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hampton (Virginia) |