She
worked on Centaur technology at NASA —
a high-energy rocket technology that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to boost rockets into space. She also co-authored numerous papers about nuclear engines in rockets and she worked on solar, wind and energy projects.
How did Annie Easley grow up?
Easley grew up in
Birmingham
and initially sought to be a nurse, but she soon switched to pharmacy once she started high school. Easley entered Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1951. After completing two years of study she returned to Birmingham, and in 1954, she married a man in the U.S. military.
What is an interesting fact about Annie Easley?
She was a leading member of the team which developed software for the Centaur rocket stage, and was
one of the first African-Americans to work as a computer scientist at NASA
. Annie Easley was born to Samuel Bird Easley and Mary Melvina Hoover in Birmingham, Alabama.
What did Annie Easley do as a kid?
Planned to Become
a Pharmacist
Easley was the daughter of Samuel Bird Easley and Mary Melvina Hoover. Easley and her brother, six years older, were raised by their single mother. From the fifth grade through high school, Annie Easley attended parochial schools in Birmingham, graduating as class valedictorian.
What did Annie Easley discover or invent?
She developed and implemented
code used
in researching energy-conversion systems, analyzing alternative power technology—including the battery technology that was used for early hybrid vehicles, as well as for the Centaur upper-stage rocket.
What was Annie Easley motivation?
However, Easley’s mother encouraged and motivated her
to work hard and pursue her dreams
. She encouraged her to get a good education and from the fifth grade through high school, she attended a parochial school and was valedictorian of her graduating class.
What struggles did Annie Easley face?
She related a story of being photographed, along with her co-workers, for NASA promotional photographs. She was humiliated to find that, no matter where the photos were used, she was cut out of them. She
was denied financial aid that NASA
gave to other employees to pay for additional college courses.
Did Annie Easley get divorced?
Personal life. In 1954, Annie Easley married a man from the military. After her husband had been discharged from the military, the two of them moved to Cleveland, Ohio to be near his family.
Easley divorced later in her life
.
How did Annie Easley benefit the world?
Annie Easley (1933-2011) was a computer scientist, mathematician and rocket scientist. She worked on Centaur technology at NASA — a high-energy rocket technology that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid
oxygen to boost rockets into space
.
Did Annie Easley write a book?
Women in Science
and Technology: Annie Easley―The Story of a NASA Computer Scientist, Grades 1-3 Interactive Book With Illustrations, Vocabulary, Extension Activities (24 pgs) Hardcover – August 11, 2019.
What was Annie Easley’s job when she started working at NASA?
She began her career as
a mathematician and computer engineer
at the NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (which became NASA Lewis Research Center, 1958–1999, and later the John H. Glenn Research Center). Annie was responsible for calculating complex mathematical functions by hand for scientists in the lab.
What was Annie Easley first job?
In 1955, Easley began her career as
a “human computer,” doing computations for researchers
. This involved analyzing problems and doing calculations by hand. Her earliest work involved running simulations for the newly planned Plum Brook Reactor Facility.
