10 Famous Space Scientists That You May Not Know

Katherine Johnson:  Although her story gained more recognition after the movie "Hidden Figures," Katherine Johnson was an African-American mathematician who played a crucial role in calculating trajectories for NASA's Mercury and Apollo missions. 

Vera Rubin:  An American astronomer, Vera Rubin's work provided evidence for the existence of dark matter. Her studies of galaxy rotation curves revolutionized our understanding of the universe. 

Chien-Shiung Wu:  Known as the "First Lady of Physics," Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American experimental physicist who contributed to the Manhattan Project and conducted groundbreaking experiments that confirmed the violation of the principle of parity in weak interactions. 

George Carruthers:  An African-American astrophysicist, George Carruthers invented the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph, which was used to capture the first images of Earth's ozone layer from space.  n conservation and animal welfare.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell:  An astrophysicist from Northern Ireland, Jocelyn Bell Burnell played a key role in the discovery of pulsars. Her observations of regular radio pulses from distant stars opened up new possibilities in our understanding of neutron stars and other astrophysical phenomena. 

An American theoretical physicist and astronomer, Lyman Spitzer Jr. was a driving force behind the development of space telescopes. He proposed the concept of a large space-based telescope, which led to the creation of the Hubble Space Telescope. 

Lyman Spitzer Jr.:  

As the lead software engineer for NASA's Apollo missions, Margaret Hamilton played a vital role in developing the onboard flight software that guided the Apollo spacecraft to the moon.  

Margaret Hamilton:  

 The first female engineer to work in NASA's Mission Control Center, Frances "Poppy" Northcutt was a key member of the team responsible for bringing the Apollo 11 astronauts safely back to Earth.  

Frances "Poppy" Northcutt: 

An English-born astronomer, Roger Angel is known for his innovative work on telescope technology. He developed the concept of lightweight mirrors for large telescopes, revolutionizing the field of astronomical optics. 

Roger Angel:  

The first British astronaut, Helen Sharman flew to the Mir space station in 1991. She conducted experiments and research during her mission, making significant contributions to space science. 

Helen Sharman:  

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