Hidden Figures | Featurette: Achieving The Impossible |

Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, prime, eighteen, prime, isosceles, scalene. In all my years of teaching, I've never seen a mind like the one your daughter has. You're offering a full scholarship. All you have to do is get there. These little girls that couldn't get into these white schools, their intellect actually just overcame that. Miss Coleman, why don't you solve the equation on the board? And common sense says at least one of the two terms has to be zero to the quadratics, and to wait for them to get that side of the equation to equal zero. Once you've done that, it's pretty straightforward from there. This is about three African American women working in segregated NASA in 1960, 61, and 62. We're on double time this morning, girls. I need these calculations before lunch. When they told me about the story at the very beginning, it just had so many different touch points that really mean a lot to me. It's such an important story. You have identification on you? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We're just on our way to work at Langley. NASA, sir. We do a great deal of the calculating, getting our rockets into space. I had no idea they hired. There are quite a few women working in the space program. I've been obsessed with NASA since I was a little boy. It's my first time being a producer on a film, and it happens to be about an African American woman in the 1960s who is responsible for us winning the space race. You girls ever meet those astronauts? Mercury 7? Absolutely. Yes, sir. We work with those gentlemen all the time. Those boys are the best we've got. I'm sure of that. Yeah. We've got to get a man up there before the commies do. Yes. Whole damn country's counting on him. The space race flew parallel to civil rights. The Soviet news agency has announced that Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin has become the first man in space. How the hell did we find ourselves in second place in a two-man race? And then you have the Cold War, with Russia beaming down on us and bearing down on us, or so we thought. The Russians have a spy satellite lapping the planet, taking pictures of God knows what. And so all these things are happening all at the same time, which is like the most tremendous point in this country's history. I think our country then was at the precipice of redefining itself, and we find ourselves there now. And the beautiful thing about being able to see history in hindsight is how we can influence the future. The president is demanding an immediate response. No more delay. Alan Shepard, John Glenn, your Uncle Bob, it doesn't matter. Get us up there, Harrison. We can't justify a space program that doesn't put anything in space. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Kennedy was very clever about this. He basically said, OK, it looks to me like every time we announce we're going to do something, the Russians go out and do it before us, and then they beat us up in the press about it. And so what we need to do is move the goalposts. This story's been around for at least 50 years. Because it's never been done, everything we do between now and then is going to matter. It's going to matter to their wives, to their children. It was an amazing story, but the idea that it was actually true was just, it was mind-blowing. I need a mathematician. I'll put in another request, sir. Another request. Jesus Christ, we don't have a single person in this entire building that can handle analytic geometry? That's what I've been told. Well, tell me something else, Ruth, like we're going to find such a person before the Russians plant a flag on the damn moon. Space test group needs a computer, ASAP. Someone with a handle on analytic geometry. You have someone? Oh, yes, ma'am. Catherine's the gal for that. She can handle any numbers you put in front of her. The story and the contributions that all of these women, black and white, made to mathematics and our advancement in technology and to the space race, I wanted to be a part of that storytelling. I was really, really honored that this project had come to me. Pastor mentioned you're a computer at NASA. Yes. What's that entail? We calculate the mathematics necessary to enable launch and landing for the space program. That's pretty heady stuff. Yes, it is. They let women handle that sort of thing. That's not what I mean. What do you mean? I'm just surprised something so taxing. Mr. Johnson, if I were you, I'd quit talking right now. Have a good day. Catherine Johnson is a legend. She definitely was a remarkable woman and so revered by the people around her whose lives she helped to shape. And she spoke up for her women and made sure that every step forward was a step forward for all of them. Your clearance. They've never had a colored in here before, Catherine. Don't embarrass me. He needed a mathematician. Could he be surprised that it was an African-American woman because they weren't being put forth? What's her status on that computer? She's right behind you, Mr. Harrison. Yeah, he had that moment. But right after that moment of looking at her, he also walks right up to her. Can you do this? Can you do that? Does she handle analytic geometry? Absolutely, and she speaks. Yes, sir, I do. Which one? Both, geometry and speaking. I think you can find me the frame for this data using the Graham-Schmidt... Organization algorithm? Yes, sir. I prefer it over Euclidean coordinates. Mary Jackson wanted to be an engineer. She had the same degree as most of the male white engineers. So Mary, she always knew that she had the mind of an engineer, but of course, living in segregation, she didn't understand how that was going to work. But her boss said, you have the mind of an engineer and you should use it. We are living the impossible. Let me ask you. If you were a white male, would you wish to be an engineer? I wouldn't have to. I'd already be one. She went and petitioned the court. Your Honor, out of all the cases you're going to hear today, which one is going to matter 100 years from now? Which one is going to make you the first? And got into an all-white school at night classes. A segregated school, unheard of. I'm Mary Jackson. I'm enrolled. Well, the curriculum is not designed for teaching a woman. Well, I imagine it's the same as teaching a man. Then goes back to NASA, and NASA has no choice but to make her an engineer. She was the first African-American female engineer at NASA. And nobody dares stand in the way of Mary Jackson's dream. What the hell are you doing? You can't be in here. Who are you? I'm with the West Computing Group. Dorothy Vaughn, sir. Well, this is a very delicate piece of equipment. I'm sorry, sir. I'm just trying to be helpful. It's one of those things that history will remember, and Dorothy Vaughn will be remembered by her own actions. Well, I'll be. What's your name again? Dorothy Vaughn. She had foresight into the IBM, and realized really quickly that the IBM was going to be it. It was going to be the wave of the future. It'll run eventually, and when it does, we have to know how to program it. Unless you'd rather be out of a job. No, ma'am. And then most of those women from both the East Group and the West Group ended up being the programmers on that IBM. We've been reassigned. Leave your calculators. You won't need them where we're going. They literally changed the world by sending, you know, the first American into orbit, into space. Conclusion? The area closest to the boosters is closest to the heat. Coupled with rising temperature on reentry, the contact softens. We could consider another fastener other than the bolts. Yes. Women computers came about because men saw those positions as secretarial. Sitting there, crunching numbers at a desk, that's what women do. Catherine, that's the job. When you ask for this assignment, so just calculate what you have, or we'll find someone who can. They lived at different times, and their struggles were real. That's one thing that we don't take for granted, and we know that we have a big job to do. That's Alan Shepard, U.S. Navy pilot. He could be the first man in space. And that's John Glenn. What do you ladies do for NASA? Calculate your trajectories, launch and landing. You can't get anywhere without the numbers. No, sir. Mary Jackson, Mr. Glenn. Engineering, and I'm proud as the devil to be working with you. That's exactly what they did at the space task group. They didn't care. Can you do the job? How could you possibly be ogling these white men? All is equal rights. I have the right to see fine in every color. Truth be told, Dorothy, I don't even know if I can keep up in that room. I'll be back with the computers in a week or out of a job entirely. Oh, please. You're better with the numbers than anyone in there, Catherine, and you know it. Just make that pencil move as fast as your mind does. You'll be fine. And you, have some respect. Get your damn feet off my dashboard. This isn't your living room. This whole group of actors was, like, shocking to me. Everyone came for the right reasons. I mean, all the actors came for the right reasons. All the crew came for the right reasons. It was just a blessing. There always comes that moment where the director and the actor meet and they talk about how they're going to work. Those conversations take place between director and actor all the time, and I'll just tell you, most of the time it falls down. We're in the fight of our lives, people. We're not on some epic joyride. Ted did everything he said he was going to do. And the story's important to him. It's very important that we get it right. He knows it inside out. You know what your job is, Paul? Find the genius among those geniuses. Pull us all up. We all get to the peak together or we don't get there at all. She didn't let any of that hold her back. It was like she had every obstacle stacked against her, and nothing could stop her. Where the hell have you been? I put a lot of faith in you. There's no bathroom for me here. What do you mean there's no bathroom for you here? There is no bathroom. There are no colored bathrooms in this building or any building outside the West Campus. We're just half a mile away. Did you know that? I have to walk to Timbuktu just to relieve myself. My dad is actually a NASA Langley retired research scientist, which is sort of how I got to know about this story. And I knew Katherine Johnson and many of the other women that I'm writing about from childhood because they worked here with my dad. I want to do her story right. I want to do her story justice. The fact that she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year. Katherine Johnson is 98. What makes her her is her fortitude. I counted everything. I counted the dishes when I washed them. I was totally honored that it came to me to play Katherine. I had had more advanced math than anybody there, so I got a lot of work. Whose work is that? I said whose damn work is that? Katherine Goble, sir. When someone comes into your office, often you don't know how valuable they're going to be. Mr. Harrison, I would like to attend today's briefing. Why is that? Well, sir, the data changes so fast. The capsule changes. The weight and the landing zones are all changing every day. I want to know what they were talking about. And if I wanted to know, I asked. 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 I'm the best person to present my calculations. You're not going to let this go, are you? No, I am not. We need to be past theory at this point. We'll be able to calculate a go-no-go with that information. When exactly is that going to happen? Katherine, have a go at it? There is an equation for everything. Math is the universal language. So that puts your landing zone at 5.0667 degrees north, 77.3333 degrees west. I like your numbers. Thank you. She was the only person John Glenn trusted to run his numbers. Katherine? He didn't trust the new IBM computers. And he said the words... Let's get the girl to check the numbers. If she says they're good, I'm good to go. Those were direct quotes. The girl? Yes, sir. You mean Katherine? Yes, sir. Smart one. I mean, she says they're good. I'm ready to go. That was important for us to actually highlight words like that. The smart one. Because suddenly, color went away. That's what's so beautiful about this story. We don't really focus on race. It is what it is. And even when you talk to Mrs. Johnson, she doesn't even harp on it. They respected me for what I knew, and I respected them for what they knew. Maybe we've been thinking about this all wrong. How's that? Maybe it's not new math at all. It could be old math. Math is always dependable. For you, it is. I knew Hidden Figures was going to be one of the best roles because of the tenacity, the courage, the freedom, the fearlessness of this character, of Mary and her two best friends. They were all these smart African-American women who were hidden. How come I've never heard this story about these women who calculated launch windows for the astronauts and who did all this work? It is with me. It's a time, too, where women were supposed to just be stay-at-home moms and raising kids. You've been gone for 300 hours. I work a full-time job now. You all know that. These women, we try to show who they were behind the scenes. We go from being our fathers' daughters to our husbands' wives to our babies' mothers. Everybody smile. So you're going to get the sense of the sisterhood. I've been complaining for days. Ladies. Got one more peep about work. Deal me in. Come on, three, one. Right here. Child, I needed this. Thank you. I love that we get a movie where you see three women love each other like that. That's what's going to take this film to the next level. Because it's a complex story. You don't miss with Mrs. Bond. Turn that music up. I don't know what a better first producer credit I could ever receive. And then on the same film, to be responsible for original song score. Like, running is written from the perspective of her thought. I'm excited that I could even have the opportunity to musically and melodically illustrate what she was going through. And I know in her mind, she just had to be saying to herself, I'm sick and tired of running. I cannot wait to get this soundtrack. The music is going to blow you away. It's going to be one of those soundtracks to remember. Rel is one of my musical heroes. And to be able to collaborate with him on this film, you know, we're family. And it matters who you're making history with. He always does. He's taking us on a musical ride. You know, family members, they used to play songs from that era. You know, thinking about how they moved to those kind of songs. So, musically, at that time, that's just where I was. I was in that space. Come on, Kat. Let's dance. Come twirl, twirl, twirl. Yeah! The story has so much ascension in it, so I had to match it musically. I'm excited about it. Don't you know that we're able? That only makes us major. My arm is bruised. I've been pinching myself a lot. And to work on a score with my dear good friend and mentor, Hans Zimmer. From there, he suggested to enlist Ben as well. And Ben came out swinging. We all have different talents, and we're all really good at different things. In a funny way, it might have taken three of us to tell the story of one of these women. To tell the story of all of these women. Because it was important. These guys were masters, I have to say. They made it easy in the sense that it never felt like work. The moment we got in the room together, we could just hone in and lift women up with the score. And to do what we've been dying to do anyway. Hans has said this a lot. The music we had to create doesn't exist. And it was just a huge honor for me to join this band. Hans is my big brother. So this process has been yet another college course for me. Melody knows no boundaries. It knows no discrimination. I love working on film. And being able to touch the inner being of the people who watch this film. Of inspiration or creativity. Very much looking for that human touch. Man, Herbie Hancock, the way that he's able to manipulate the keys to give us these audio rainbows. To lend his vision to the work that Hans, Ben and myself are doing. It's a story of three women whose God-given abilities were allowed to flourish and make a difference. Your station in life doesn't dictate your path in life. When you see this movie, you're going to laugh, you're going to cry. It's a celebratory film. We're honored to serve our country. So we don't think about danger. We don't time them scared. We got a job to do. This movie is about how black and white men and women put a man in space. This is important, not only for women of color, but for all young girls to know that they have value. Women are not only equals, they're like a bit beyond equal, right? No woman can always act like a man. These women were the heroes behind the scenes. And now we're bringing them to the forefront. Here's hoping these landing quarters still hold. There's a real fireball outside. It's getting a little hot in here. Go find Catherine Rowland. Without a heat shield, there is no way that John can get back.