Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shetterly

With the US government desperate to
gain a foothold in the space race, Langley
now could open its garage door and
display its wares for the world to see. A
group that included Mary Jackson’s
division chief, John Becker, advocated
for a vehicle that was capable of
reaching orbital speeds and then gliding
back down to Earth like a traditional
aircraft, an advanced version of the X-15
rocket plane. It would be an elegant
solution to the problem of space, they
thought, one that made the hearts of the
NACA’s old-school “wing men” beat
faster.
But the urgency of the competition
with the Soviets created pressure to
adopt the quickest, surest way into space,
even if it was a little crude, or sacrificed
long-term spacefaring viability for short-