Hidden Figures Page #7

Friendship 7 :
Launch Projections

By:
Paul Stafford

and Katherine Goble.

Colonel Glenns launch coordinates

accounting for the window change, sir.

Ive told you this: Computers dont

author reports. Fix it.

Those are my calculations.

My name should be on it.

But it is not the way this works.

Paul.

Whats happening here?

Mr. Harrison,

Id like to attend todays briefing.

- Whys that?

- Well, sir, the data changes so fast.

The capsule changes. The weight and the

landing zones are all changing everyday.

I do my work, you attend these briefings.

I have to start all over.

Colonel Glenn launches in a few weeks.

We dont have the math figured out yet.

- Why cant she attend?

- Because she doesnt have clearance, Al.

I can not do my work effectively

if I do not have all of the data,

and all of the information

as soon as its available.

I need to be in that room,

hearing what you hear.

Pentagon Briefings are not for civilians.

It requires the highest clearance.

I feel like Im the best person

to present my calculations

- Will you let this go, huh?

- Well, I'm not!

Let her in? Shes a woman.

Theres no protocol for a woman attending.

Okay, I get that part, Paul.

But within these walls,

who... makes the rules?

You, sir. Youre the boss.

You just have to act like one. Sir.

You keep quiet.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning.

This is Katherine Goble with our

Trajectory and Launch Window Division.

Her work is pertinent to

todays proceedings.

Come.

I'll get her a chair.

We have a confirmed

launch window..

- Give her your chair.

- Yes, sir.

We have a confirmed launch window for

friendship 7. Lets discuss a landing zone.

The Navy needs a singular landing zone.

20 miles square is what we can

service for retrieval.

Outside of that,

we risk the capsules recovery.

Wed like 3 possible recovery areas.

We cant cover half the damn ocean.

What I do respect

our capsules being altered daily.

Were orbiting the Earth at...

whats the speed now?

17,544 miles per hour.

At the time the rocket delivers the

capsule into low space orbit.

Thats one hell of a speeding ticket.

OK.

So we have the vehicle's speed,

the launch window and for arguments sake,

the landing zone is The Bahamas.

Should be enough to figure the Go/No Go?

- Yeah! In theory, sir.

- We need to be past theory at this point.

Well be able to calculate a

Go/No Go with that information.

When exactly is that gonna happen?

Katherine.

Have a go at it?

The Go point for re-entry

is 2,990 miles

from where we want Colonel Glenn to land.

If we assume thats The Bahamas.

At 17,544 miles per hour..

upon reentry..

370..

At a descent angle..

of 46.56 ..

degrees..

distance..

OK!

So, that puts the landing zone at...

25.0667 North,

77.3333 West.

Which is here!

Right here.

Give or take 20 square miles.

I like her numbers.

Thank you.

That of course is assuming the ..

capsule hits the reentry point exactly

How do we insure that?

Thats the math we dont

have yet, gentlemen.

Were working on it.

Katherine!

Whats it gonna take to make

this thing worth the price tag?

Were just getting up to speed here,

Mr. Harrison.

I need more man power.

I mean Programmers.

Folks to feed the cards.

Then get them, for crying out loud.

right?

- Youre the IBM man, right?

- Yes, sir.

Pull them out of the sky if you

have to, but lets get ahead of

- this thing. Or Im not paying you.

- I understand.

I got thoughts.

I got thoughts on it.

I'm not paying any of you!

- Me?

- Temporarily. Yes.

We need the IBM for Glenns launch.

The Lead Engineer says youre good

with the cards, programming and such.

What about the girls here?

Human computers cant calculate an

orbital flight in the time we have.

- Theyll stay put for now.

- What about after now?

After the Glenn launch, NASAs

dissolvin the Computing Groups.

Im not accepting reassignment.

Unless, I bring my ladies with me.

Excuse me?

Were going to need a lot of

manpower to program that beast.

I cant do it alone.

My girls are ready

They can do the work.

Ladies!

weve been reassigned.

Leave your calculators.

You wont need them where were going.

Welcome, ladies!

Do you know what your job is, Paul?

To find the genius among those geniuses.

To pull us all up.

We all get to the peak together,

or we.. dont get there at all.

Yes. Well.

Good night, sir.

I dont know what time

Im coming home.

The class ends at 9.

You get something to say?

Thought you might need these.

You can refill em with any weight

lead you want.

See? Just hit the tap like this.

A lead comes up.

You put the new lead in..

And.. New pencil!

You will make a fine engineer.

- You think so?

- Yes.

And nobody dare stand in the way of

Mary Jacksons dreams. Myself included.

- Dont make me mad again.

- Yes, ma'am.

Then, dont make me late either.

Then don't be late, I'm waiting!

Hi, gentlemen.

Tonight we discuss PlanckEinstein.

Where Planck relationships..

Yes?

Im Mary Jackson.

Im enrolled.

Well. The curriculum is not designed

for teaching... a woman.

Well, I imagine its the same as

teaching a man.

I dont see a colored section.

Should I just take any seat?

Thank you.

OK.

PlanckEinstein...

The problem is when the capsule moves

from an elliptical orbit to a parabolic orbit.

Theres no mathematical formula for that.

As we can calculate launch, landing

but without this conversion, the capsule

stays in orbit, we cant bring it home.

Maybe were thinking about this all wrong.

Hows that?

Maybe its not new math at all.

It could be old math.

Something that looks at the problem

numerically, and not theoretically

- Math is always dependable.

- For you it is.

Eulers Method.

- Eulers Method?

- Yes.

- Thats ancient.

- But it works!

It works numerically.

That's it!

Lets type it up.

Friendship 7:
Launch, Landing

and Go/No Go Analysis

By:
Paul Stafford

Dorothy.

Mrs. Mitchell.

Youre working late today.

The same is always happening that way

Yes.

Seems to.

Thank you.

I hear the IBM is at full capacity.

You certainly have a knack for it

My father taught me a thing or

two about mechanics.

You know, I have a few girls in the East Group

that have an interest in knowin more about it.

- It is the future.

- I may bring em by, if its all the same to you.

Thats not my decision. Ma'am.

That would be the supervisors.

Yes. Thats true.

Well.

Good night, Mrs. Mitchell.

You know, Dorothy...

Despite what you may think..

I have nothin against yall.

I know.

I know you probably believe that.

Goodnight, Katherine.

Good nigh!

- Mamma.

- Hey, baby!

Hi!

Hey!

Please don't tell me I miss

someone's birthday!

- No, you didn't!

- No, you didn't, mamma!

Madame...

Your seat.

Thank you!

Well, is it my birthday?

No, mamma.

You're all look so pretty!

Mamma!

What's going on?

Good evening, Katherine.

- So, you are not gonna say anything?

- It's not my place.

You, really?

Okay, Im not going to do this all night...

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