Barbara Paulson

Barbara Paulson (born April 11, 1928) is an American former human computer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and one of the first women scientists employed there.[1] Paulson began working as a mathematician at JPL in 1948, where she calculated rocket trajectories by hand.[2]

Career

Paulson joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1948 as a computer, calculating rocket paths.[3] In 1958, Paulson joined the team to launch Explorer-1, the first satellite of the United States, launched during the Space Race with the Soviet Union.[2] Paulson did the work with minimal equipment: a mechanical pencil, light table, and graph paper.[4]

When Paulson requested a closer parking space at work because she was pregnant, she was fired, as JPL did not employ pregnant women at the time.[5] JPL had no maternity leave, so women who were fired did not have jobs to return to after giving birth.[3] Paulson's supervisor, Helen Ling, worked hard to rehire women who'd been forced out with no parental leave, so in 1961, Paulson accepted Ling's offer and returned to the lab.[2]

Eventually, Paulson became a supervisor in the lab.[6]

Recognition and legacy

Paulson retired in 1993.[2] In 2016, Nathalia Holt wrote Rise of the Rocket Girls, a book about Paulson and other women who were early employees at NASA.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Holt, Nathalia (2016). Rise of the rocket girls : the women who propelled us, from missiles to the moon to Mars (First ed.). New York. ISBN 0316338923. OCLC 917345188.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Conway, Erik (2007-03-27). "Women Made Early Inroads at JPL". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  3. 1 2 Holt, Nathalia (2016-06-01). "The Women Behind the Jet Propulsion Laboratory". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  4. ↑ "Meet The 'Rocket Girls,' The Women Who Charted The Course To Space". NPR.org. 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  5. 1 2 Raymond, Laurel (2016-05-19). "The incredible story of NASA's forgotten 'Rocket Girls'". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
  6. ↑ Shavin, Naomi (2016-04-15). "NASA's "Rocket Girls" Are No Longer Forgotten History". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2017-12-12.



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