Annie J. Easley | Biography

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 guardian of democracy. They were also disturbed by the allegations of Communism that had been part of the much-publicized McCarthy hearings. Most people focused their efforts on striving to succeed in the post-World War II economy and were uninterested in visionary quests.

The mood changed abruptly in 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite to be placed in orbit around the Earth. American pride was pricked (and American fears of a possible Soviet military advantage were awakened) by the feat. In that year, the Air Force studied a proposal for a high-energy space booster with a new propulsion system that mixed liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Dubbed the Centaur, the booster's development was authorized by the United States government in 1958.

Easley was assigned to the Flight Software Section at the Lewis Research Center. The space race pushed forward the development of computer hardware and software because complex, miniaturized systems were required to monitor and run space vehicles. Easley developed and helped implement computer programs used to determine solar wind and solve numerous energy monitoring and conversion problems. Easley also worked on projects related to energy while at Lewis. She studied the life use of storage batteries that powered electric utility vehicles and the efficiency of energy conversion systems. While at the Lewis Research Center, Easley attended Cleveland State University and completed a bachelor of science degree in mathematics in 1977.

Easley's work with NASA's Centaur developed the technological foundations for today's shuttle launches, as well as for the launches of communication, weather, and military satellites. Easley retired in 1991, but her work contributed to the 1997 flight to Saturn of the Cassini--launched on its way by the Centaur.