People of color, including the black female mathematicians who worked as “human computers” and were depicted in the Oscar-winning “Hidden Figures,” were a part of NASA’s space program from its inception.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, and to highlight another hidden figure, About Us spoke with Franklin Chang Díaz, who is NASA’s first Latino astronaut. Chang Díaz, now 69, flew his first space mission in 1986. He would go on to fly in six additional missions in his 25-year career with NASA, which ended with his induction into the agency’s Hall of Fame.