"Hidden Figures" Tour KSC

During a tour for cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures," Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana poses with the group on the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Among those participating are Kelvin Manning, associate center director; Meredith Lipsky, vice president of Field Marketing for 20th Century Fox; Ted Melfi, writer and director of “Hidden Figures;” Michelle Ryan, executive producer of the film; Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures;" Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan; Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson in the film; Janet Petro, deputy center director; and Cabana. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.