From Mission Control to Feminist Icon: Poppy Northcutt’s Legacy

On today’s episode, we have a very special conversation with Frances “Poppy” Northcutt – the first woman engineer to work in NASA’s mission control and early trailblazer for representation in the space industry – having worked on several NASA missions including both Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. We’ll discuss her time at NASA, how gender equity in space careers has changed over time, and her inspiring women’s rights advocacy work.

Frances “Poppy” Northcutt is a Texas attorney who began her career as a “computer” and then an engineer for the technical staff on NASA’s Apollo Program during the space race. During the Apollo 8 mission, she became the first female engineer to work in NASA’s Mission Control. Later in her career, Northcutt became an attorney specializing in women’s rights. In the early 1970s, she served on the national board of directors of the National Organization for Women. Today, she works and volunteers for several organizations in Houston advocating for abortion rights.

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