We are all familiar with Apollo 11 and the world’s first manned lunar mission back in 1969. It was a historic moment for the world and a victory for the United States, as the space race with Russia created a fervor of science-based competition that we haven’t seen since.
A lot of us have seen Hollywood’s portrayal of our astronauts on the moon, punctuated with the nervous faces at mission control, holding their breath in hopes that everyone makes it home safe. But there’s more to learn here about this historic time and about the people who helped make this mission possible. A fluids engineer who goes by Megan H at Blue Origin tweeted the story of a remarkable woman who not only helped NASA put the first people on the moon but also helped thwart Russian meddling.
I know. Russian meddling is everywhere, right?
She starts off by pointing out a female character in the new Apollo 11 documentary (which is worth seeing, by the way).
Her name is JoAnn Morgan, and she was the only woman inside the control room at the historic launch of #Apollo11 in 1969. A glimpse of her is seen in this documentary, but that’s only the beginning of her story. pic.twitter.com/TSR8TRvR2M
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
In a sea of white males we see a lonely female, blending into the crowd. Anyone who sees her likely wonders who she is. Women working in STEM in the 1960s and 1970s were pioneers, so it goes without saying that her story should probably be told. Megan H is on it.
At the time, JoAnn was a 28-year-old instrumentation controller and the first woman permitted to be inside the firing room (where all personnel were locked in 30 minutes before blastoff) during an Apollo launch. #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/folez84xFf
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
We learn that at 28 years old she was rather accomplished.
In a famous photo taken in Firing Room #1 of @NASAKennedy on July 16, 1969, the day of #Apollo11’s launch, the consoles are populated by dozens of men in white shirts and skinny black ties, some in lab coats, many wearing pocket protectors. There is only one woman at a console. pic.twitter.com/scrmk5wiQI
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
Among men who seem almost to be in uniform, JoAnn sits just days before the historic day. Having been promoted to senior staff, she’s earned the right to be there.
ICYMI @MrKamp of @VanityFair tracked down JoAnn Morgan for an interview and wrote this great article on her story, check it out: https://t.co/Lcf5QilxcH #apollo11 #WomenInSTEM 🚀
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
JoAnn gave a wonderful interview, giving us an inside peek at what it was like for her working in a male-dominated field (which is what a lot of us women might still know a bit about).
For #Apollo11, Jo Ann had recently advanced from Junior Controller level to to Senior level as the Chief Instrumentation Controller, KSC Technical Support, and she sat in Launch Control (Firing Room) Area A Row D Seat 15. Ref https://t.co/STlFYtw8Y1 pic.twitter.com/nwyfQcRoZY
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
*Interference meaning a ship or submarine trying to get on the frequency that NASA was using to send commands out to the vehicle. (Wait, what? This happened?) Oh, yeah, it happened… pic.twitter.com/tq8IXqkr0F
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
In pure Russian fashion, they extended themselves to try and interfere with our efforts in an attempt to keep us from successfully beating them to the moon. Knowing what we know now about official Russian methods, this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. It’s more surprising that Russia has such a long history of trying to cut our brakes when we aren’t looking and we still try to deny it happening today. Back to JoAnn:
”What we had to do is put different antennas on and direct them differently so we could block them from interfering with our command process.” -JoAnn Morgan #Apollo11
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
(A trawler is a commercial fishing boat guys)
https://twitter.com/megsylhydrazine/status/1133874825234210817
International waters, or the ‘high seas’, do not fall under any country’s jurisdiction, known under the doctrine of Mare liberum. Everyone has the right to fishing, navigation, overflight, and scientific research. Basically, NASA’s hands were tied.
Going full circle, as Chief Instrumentation Controller for KSC, JoAnn helped monitor the command carrier for any foreign interference, which helped #Apollo11 launch without any communications interruptions. pic.twitter.com/wWrkotFO8Q
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
As you can guess, we don’t see a woman climbing the ranks of NASA in this era easily. This one went right to the top:
Having JoAnn locked in the Firing Room as the only (and first) woman was breaking new ground; it was a change in tradition. So the request ran to the top, and was approved without hesitation. pic.twitter.com/NLFfLhHuKE
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 29, 2019
JoAnn went through a lot of the trials we see the women in the movie Hidden Figures go through. NASA was so entrenched in a masculine identity, they didn’t even have proper facilities for women near work areas:
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“…so either the security guard had to clear the men’s room, or I had to walk, just like the ladies in @HiddenFigures, to a different building to use the bathroom.” -Jo Ann Morgan #Apollo11 pic.twitter.com/gWdgWjkJ6M
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
You will find other instances of sexism that she had to overcome – your usual flavor of sexual harassment coupled with the belief that she wasn’t as deserving or as smart as her peers (spoiler alert: she was).
The #Apollo11 launch was a historic moment in everyone’s life. Many dressed up for the occasion, some sporting their lucky shirts. For Jo Ann, that decision was “What can I wear so that I don’t stand out like a sore thumb?” pic.twitter.com/sN93viGq0N
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
Once JoAnn’s job was done, she was able to watch like the rest of America. She watched with her husband – who had no fear of smart or strong women (his sister was a scientist as well) – and celebrated being part of such a historic project:
As for the #Apollo11 landing, Jo Ann’s job was complete, so she and her husband took a boat out to Longboat Key and watched the lunar landing on TV with champagne in hand. After watching the landing, her husband reached over and said, “Hon, you’re gonna be in the history books.” pic.twitter.com/CaQHK7E2Jp
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
After the moon landing, JoAnn enjoyed a long and fruitful career with NASA:
Here’s JoAnn inside shuttle Atlantis as Associate Director for Advanced Development and Shuttle Upgrades, alongside Director Roy Bridges (seated at bottom left), Laural Patrick (standing left), a systems engineer with MEDS, and George Selina (at right), with United Space Alliance pic.twitter.com/NHlrh231CC
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
45 YEARS with NASA, she witnessed some truly wonderful things about space travel come to fruition.
Her list of accolades and honors are immense, including a Presidential Honor as a Meritorious Executive, being inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame, Exceptional Service Medals and Outstanding Leadership Medals from @NASA, and much more. pic.twitter.com/qnXiEQNnxA
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
What started as a simple question from @apollo11movie turned into an awesome research adventure. 'Thank you' to the trailblazers that helped pave the path for the next generation of engineers and scientists. #Apollo11 #NASA pic.twitter.com/LemiSZdmer
— Megs H. (@megsylhydrazine) May 30, 2019
It’s always a pleasure reading about women trailblazers in STEM. Without them leading the way and breaking down stereotypes, women like Dr. Bouman, who helped create the first image of a black hole, and Dr. Freese, who is pioneering research about dark matter, would have a much harder go at fulfilling their potential.