Dr. Christine Darden Hidden Figures Bronze Medal

This medal is a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal presented to Dr. Christine Darden in recognition of her contribution to the success of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. Congress authorized the medal on November 8, 2019 and presented it on September 18, 2024. The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act (Public Law 116-68) also awarded medals to Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and a fifth medal for all the women who made NASA successful. The Mint issued the bronze medal duplicates in 3.0 inch and 1.5 inch sizes.

Dr. Christine Darden is mathematician, data analyst, and aeronautical engineer who devoted much of her 40-year career at NASA to researching supersonic flight and sonic booms.

In 1967, Christine Darden started her career at NASA’s Langley Research Center as a data analyst. She was promoted to an aerospace engineer and worked on low-boom sonic effects. While at NASA, she earned a PhD in mechanical engineering and was later picked as the leader of the Sonic Boom Team. The team tested wing and nose designs of supersonic aircraft to minimize sonic booms. Dr. Darden published more than 50 articles on aeronautic design.