In 'Hidden Figures' 3 African American Women Help NASA Win 60s Space Race

In 'Hidden Figures' 3 African American Women Help NASA Win 60s Space Race

Hidden Figures is the Hollywood version of the true story of three black women who in 1962 helped NASA launch pioneer astronaut John Glenn into orbit.

Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson broke the gender¹ and race ceiling working as NASA mathematicians³, computer experts and engineers during the Jim Crow era in the United States.

In the early 1960s, the space race between the US and the Soviet⁵ Union is in full force. Trailing the Soviets⁶, NASA prepares for the first manned orbital mission. Hidden Figures looks at America's space program within the framework of American segregation⁷.

Kevin Costner, who interprets Al Harrison, a composite of NASA managers, represents an equal opportunity boss, a scientist, whose only focus is getting a man into Earth orbit and beating the Russians to the moon. At a time when computers were only people with very high IQs and calculating skills, Harrison is looking for a mathematical genius within NASA to help his department compute⁴ the orbit trajectory⁸ for Glenn's flight.

The human computer scouting⁹ extends to the agency’s segregated¹⁰ West Area computing¹¹ unit, where Dorothy Vaughn, the unit's acting¹² manager, is trying in vain to convince her white supervisors¹³ to offer her the managerial position full time. She is also very aware of how skills and knowledge can make her and her unit of African American women indispensable to the agency.

Not only does Vaughn train herself and her team to learn the computer language of NASA's recently-installed IBM machines, she also recommends one of the women in her unit, mathematician² Katherine Johnson, for the position of human computer Harrison is seeking.

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer interprets Dorothy Vaughn. During the film's premiere, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., Spencer spoke¹⁴ to VOA about the significance of this untold¹⁵ story.

She said that the film "will hopefully compel us to continue to look for these diamonds and educate our children." Spencer, who has already garnered¹⁶ award nominations¹⁷ for her role, added“ there were ceilings broken at NASA but the fact that the world didn’t know who they are lets us know that we still have work yet to do.”

Taraji Henson interprets mathematician Katherine Johnson, the central figure in the story.

A mother of three and a modest genius, Johnson had one goal in mind: solve the problem. Her unfaltering computations keep John Glenn safe as he orbits the earth. But even as she computes¹⁸ high math she is experiencing racism¹⁹ and sexism at the office. Her white male counterparts mistake her for the cleaning lady.

When they reluctantly have to agree that she will be working among them, they install a small coffee pot with a label "colored" for her to use. And when she needs to go to the restroom, she has to walk across the entire NASA campus to the agency's segregated West Area computing unit. That changes when Harrison discovers the reason for her long absences, and furiously storms to the segregated western unit with a hammer, and tears down the "Colored" sign from the bathroom, declaring that "at NASA, we all pee the same color."

Kevin Costner spoke to VOA about the power of that scene.

"We all feel that the walls had to come down and it can be a metaphor²⁰ moment and it can be an actual moment. The idea of taking a strip of paper off a coffee pot that segregated a (black) woman from drinking out from the same pot of coffee as (white) men did; It's important for all of us to break those walls down, to drop the barriers and I have a lot of pride for being able to do that in a movie.“

Janelle Monae interprets Mary Jackson, a feisty mother of two and the first African American woman to become an engineer.

During the premiere, Monae had this message for young girls, especially minority girls, today. "You can be mathematicians, scientists, engineers, you can be in technology, you can change the world. Genius has no color, gender. Brilliance²¹ has no color, gender and as long as you continue just do the work, you end up on top, always. “

Hidden Figures has received praise and award nominations for its ensemble²² cast. Its uplifting message reached all the way to the International Space Station, where U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, the female record holder²³ for most time in space, sent this message via satellite during the film's premiere.

“It is my hope that the Mars generation, the vibrant²⁴ innovative²⁵ work force of our future, finds inspiration as I have in these pioneering women. Enjoy the film and thank you from all of us 250 miles above the earth on board the International Space Station.”

Whitson, who took a weightless bow after her message, expressed the enthusiasm of many viewers who felt uplifted by the message of the film, but at the same time were bewildered that they had never heard of this story before.

After the screening, one woman commented, "This one is for the books and we were never taught anything about it at school."

The untold story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and the other African American women who helped NASA win the space race is finally coming to light thanks to author Margot Lee Shetterly. Her father, a NASA research scientist, passed the story down to her and she decided²⁶ to record it.

We would be remiss²⁷ if we did not mention Pharrell Williams' infectious score, which has also received award nominations. Hidden Figures is expected to be one of the most popular films of the season.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

3 mathematicians   

数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
• Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分

4 compute   

v./n.计算，估计

参考例句：

• I compute my losses at 500 dollars.我估计我的损失有五百元。
• The losses caused by the floods were beyond compute.洪水造成的损失难以估量。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

7 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

8 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

9 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

10 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

11 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

16 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

17 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

18 computes   

v.计算，估算( compute的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This article also computes STL model volume and research simply model complexity. 文章还评估了STL实体体积，对模型的复杂度进行了研究。 来自互联网
• This macro computes the length of the day, from sunrise to sunset. 把根据要求确定出来的日出日没间隔作为我们通常直觉上的一个白天。 来自互联网

19 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

20 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

21 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

22 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

23 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

24 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

25 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

26 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

27 remiss   

adj.不小心的，马虎

参考例句：

• It was remiss of him to forget her birthday.他竟忘了她的生日，实在是糊涂。
• I would be remiss if I did not do something about it.如果我对此不做点儿什么就是不负责任。