Thread by @kscosmosphere

@poppy_northcutt graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a degree in mathematics and started as a contractor for TRW Systems (now a part of Northrup Grumman) working for NASA in 1965 as a human “computress.” 1/8

“What a weird title this is,” she recalled thinking then, in an interview with TIME magazine in 2019 “Not only do they think I’m a computer, but they think I’m a gendered computer.” She was promoted a year later to Return-to-Earth Specialist, calculating mission trajectories.2/8

Making her the first women in a technical position at Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.

Poppy was the only woman working in NASA's Mission Control during the Apollo 8 mission. (Her work involved Trans-Earth Injection.) 3/8

One thing she knew from a young age was that she did not want to be in a stereotypical female role, like a nurse, teacher, or secretary. She went into a mathematics field because it was male-dominated. For her, that signaled better pay and more opportunities.4/8

She went on to be involved with Apollo 10, 11, 12, and 13—where Northcutt's team troubleshot the Apollo 13 oxygen tank explosion emergency. After continued work on advanced mission problems, she held a position in the Houston mayoral office as a women’s advocate. 5/8

Following that, her career focus shifted to the law, where she worked as an engineer while obtaining her law degree. 6/8

Serving as the first prosecutor in the domestic violence unit of the district attorney’s office in her county and moving into private practice, she had a career focused on women’s rights. She was an advocate for the Texas Equal Rights Amendment, passed in 1972. 7/8

A continuing advocate, she describes herself on social media as: “One time rocket scientist, sometime lawyer, full time feminist.” 8/8

#BecauseOfHerStory #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM2021 @smithsonian #SmithsonianAffiliate

📷 NASA