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Not anymore. Now you will be reminded of what the women did even before you returned to NASA headquarters.
Indeed, the street in which the building is located has been renamed Hidden Figures Way.
This new name pays homage to the work of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, the so-called "human computers" who performed the complex calculations that made space navigation possible.
In the 1950s, before computers were widely used and trustworthy, human mathematicians were called "computers". And NASA's "computer pool" is heavily relying on the extraordinarily complex manuscript calculations of its black employees.
Any small mistake could be catastrophic. But Johnson and the computer pool did calculations for groundbreaking and successful space missions, including Alan Shepard's 1961 trip – which made him the first American in space – and John Glenn's mission. in 1962, which made him the first American to orbit on Earth.
The world has not fully heard of this incredible story until 2016, the year of the release of the hit book and the popular film "Hidden Figures".
"I just want to say that these are the three hidden characters of a very important book that has become a magnificent film that has launched a movement that has brought us all here today," said the author. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine at a ceremony Wednesday to unveil the new street sign. . "Here we are, 50 years after the landing of the Apollo 11 Moon, celebrating those characters that were not celebrated at the time."
3 extraordinary women
The families of Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson were present for the ceremony, as well as Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of "Hidden Figures".
"Naming this street Hidden Figures Way reminds us, to all who come here, the standard set by these women, their commitment to science and their embodiment of the values of equality, justice and humanity," said Shetterly.
"But let us also remember the way of hidden numbers, which is to open our eyes to (the) contribution of people around us so that their names are also those we remember at the end of the story . "
Vaughan became an IT expert and participated in the Scout Launchers program before retiring from NASA in 1971. She died in 2008.
Jackson worked with flight test engineers and eventually became an engineer herself. She then joined the administration and held a position at NASA's Equal Opportunities Office, overseeing affirmative action programs and women's career development. She died in 2005.
Holly Yan, Emanuella Grinberg and CNN's Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report.
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