Three brilliant African-American women at NASA — Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson — serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world. The three mathematicians play a pivotal role in the astronauts launch into orbit while dealing with racial and gender discrimination.

This free film is possible by a grant from the Arts and Culture Commission. 

Downtown Live at the Rockwell Theater is sponsored in part by: