Vaughan, Dorothy
1910-2008 · Contribution: 1949-1971
Mathematician and computer programmer
Electronic computing and FORTRAN programming at NACA/NASA Langley; taught herself and her staff FORTRAN to prepare the center's transition from human to machine computing; headed the programming section of the Analysis and Computation Division and contributed to the Scout Launch Vehicle Program
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1910, Kansas City, Missouri
- Active since
- 1943
- Category
- Technology & Engineering
- Best known for
- First Black woman to supervise a unit at NACA/NASA
Impact on the world
Vaughan led a team of Black women 'human computers' and then guided their transition into electronic computer programming, ensuring they remained essential as the machines arrived.
Sources
- NASA
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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