Annie Easley was a key member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration team (NASA) that developed computer software for the Centaur, a high-energy rocket used to launch space vehicles and communication satellites.

Easley was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended Xavier University in New Orleans and worked as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, Alabama, before moving to Ohio. In 1955, Easley joined the staff of NASA's Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. At that time, the United States was on the verge of the space age, and a tense competition with the former Soviet Union had just begun. The Soviet Union dedicated much of its resources--including many of its most capable scientists--to the race for space. But support in the United States for the fledgling space program was not as strong; Americans were dismayed by military action in Korea and reluctant to continue in the role of international...