careers • Womens History, Professor Harris • broadcast

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

Celebrating Womens History month, Professor Harris shares notes about her grandmother, one of the women who did mathematical calculations for NASA/NACA.

Sixth grade students in Petaluma, CA interviewed professor Harris about her book Hidden Heroes: The Human Computers of NASA.

Fast Facts
Prof. Harris‘ grandmother – Miriam Daniel Mann – worked at NASA/NACA from 1943 – 1966, for 23 years as a human computer.

Prof. Harris grew up hearing stories about her grandmother, who passed away 2 years before she was born. and always wanted to tell her family story. She felt that the story of how human computers – many of them women – helped space exploration needed to be told.

Many women known as „human computers“ helped the US space program develop calculations enabling enabling astronauts to travel to and from space.

The math was done by hand with pencils and slide rulers.

NASA was originally NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, founded in 1915. NACA was merged into NASA when the focus turned to space exploration.

Prof. Harris has written over 90 textbooks for 4th – 12th graders.

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Read Hidden Heroes here

www.duchessharris.com