NASA admin Bill Nelson to join “Hidden Figures” Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will represent the agency during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, recognizing the women who contributed to the space race, including the mathematicians who helped land the first astronauts on the Moon under the Apollo Program.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Hosted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. inside Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol.

Nelson is expected to be among the speakers during the ceremony.

READ: NASA’s Pegasus barge delivers parts to Kennedy Space Center

The event will stream live on speaker Johnson’s YouTube channel.

The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act was introduced by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) in February 2019 and signed into law later that year.

READ: NASA finds giant Jupiter-like planet, with century-long orbit in neighboring star system

Award recipients include Katherine Johnson in recognition of her service to the United States as a mathematician and Dr. Chrsitine Darden for her service as an aeronautical engineer.

Congressional Gold Medals will also be awarded in commemoration of the lives of Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson for their contributions during the space race.

READ: Katherine Johnson, ‘Hidden Figures’ NASA mathematician, dies

Another Congressional Gold Medal will be awarded on behalf of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA between the 1930s and the 1970s.

For more information about NASA missions, click here.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2024 Cox Media Group