Shoot for the Moon - Inspire a New Generation
Let's take a look back in time for our first Throw Back Thursday!
I have found something this year that I think is pretty interesting and you might as well. I'm currently reading a great book called Rise of the Rocket girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars, written by Nathalia Holt. And I'm listening to the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly on my Audible App. (Yes, I do use Audible, even though it's nothing like being able to just read the book. It's hands free and I'm able to keep working. I'm a busy lady and I still want to be able to read.)
These two books have a similar basis. Both are telling stories about the women who worked for N.A.S.A. in the 1940s and following their career as mathematicians, even all the way up to today. When you think of N.A.S.A. your first thought probably isn't about a woman. I don't know about you but up until I started reading this book I had no idea that women even worked for N.A.S.A. in that era. Why would I? I never heard about them. I knew that most women weren't allowed to do a "man's job" back then and so I just assumed there weren't any women involved in such an important job. It turns out that there was a large group of women who were referred to as "human computers." These women chartered the course of space exploration.
Rise of the Rocket Girls follows a group of women that were a part of the Jet Propulsion Lab working as "human computers" along through their careers working for N.A.S.A. and also dealt with the changing obstacles of their lives along the way.
Rise of the Rocket Girls-(un)Official Movie Trailer (As listed on Youtube)
Hidden Figures is similar, in the way that they are telling a story of a few mathematicians working as "human computers" as well in roughly the same time frame. The difference between the books is that not only is Hidden Figures showcasing the women who worked in space exploration but they were also African American women. These women had more than being a woman in the work field to worry about. The book also deals with their discrimination issues along the way.
Hidden Figures wasn't only made into a book but also a film that was released on January 6, 2017. I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's on my list to watch.
These women helped to pave the way for the life we American women (of all races) are able to have today. Even though they weren't showcased in their day they certainly are celebrated now!
"There is hardly a mission that you can find in NASA that these women haven't touched." - Nathalia Holt
In an interview that played on NPR's All Things Considered program Nathalia Holt says what she wishes her book accomplishes.
Holt: "My hope is that these women serve as role models, not just for my daughter of course, but for all of the women that are interested in science. It's a difficult time for women in technology right now. In 1984, 37 percent of all bachelor's degrees in computer science were awarded to women, and today that number has dropped to 18 percent. And even for women that are working in science today, it's about half of all women that leave midcareer. So I think these stories are important for inspiring and being role models that are so much needed for women today."
I hope you feel inspired by this look back in time today for our very first Throw Back Thursday!