“Good as gold.”
“Go for the gold.”
“Heart of gold.”
“Worth its weight in gold.”
“The gold standard.”
“Golden ticket.”
The idioms and sayings including or involving gold seem endless. Since it was first recognized by humans some 5,000 years ago, gold has been one of the most coveted items on earth. It remains so.
In addition to being visually alluring, it’s impervious to most anything including acids and so malleable a single ounce can, in a measurement of atoms, be pounded so thin the sheet would stretch almost 300 feet by 300 feet (think two football fields). Insofar as that thinness, gold foil is considered “thick” at seven-millionths of an inch. Gold is also invaluable for use in electronics and in space....
For NASA, gold is essential. It’s used on the inside of space helmet visors to shield astronaut’s eyes from unfiltered harsh sunlight, protecting spacecrafts from radiation and as a thermal insulator.
Closer to home, gold is the top reward for a job well done. In the Olympics, a gold medal is the pinnacle. There’s nothing higher. (Ironically, Olympic gold medals are made primarily of silver coated with six grams of gold.) Otherwise, the utmost recognition is the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest award for civilian service. Those are struck from pure gold. Since 1776, only a scant 158 individuals have received that honor, beginning with George Washington.
Last week, that number was 153. As of last Wednesday, September 18, five more medals for those involved in the US space program were presented. The recipients included four once-unknown people integrally involved in the early US space race and the Apollo program taking us to the moon. Three things about those individuals… 1. They were exceptionally intelligent. 2. They were all women. 3. They were all Black.
Showcased in the book “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly, the story was developed into a screenplay and subsequent film in 2017. The story underscores the contributions of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Dr. Christine Darden. A fifth Congressional Gold Medal was awarded collectively to all the other “Hidden Figure” black women who worked at and contributed to the NASA space program.
Though the women worked primarily in the background in the mathematics and engineering divisions, their worth came to particular prominence when astronaut John Glenn – who was beyond impressed with their ability – historically spoke seven words into the radio while in the capsule before endeavoring to circle the earth. Those were, “Get the girl to check the numbers.” He was referring to Katherine Johnson whom he trusted implicitly with all calculations. Jackson was the first African American woman engineer at NASA.
There were some “creative license liberties” in the movie to foster either intrigue, anger or some element of guilt. For instance, the scene where Katherine Johnson was forced to walk hundreds of yards to use a segregated bathroom. That led her boss, portrayed by Kevin Costner, to smash and remove the “Colored” sign outside the restroom. Didn’t happen. When Johnson worked there, there were no segregated bathrooms at NASA. She used the regular facility like everyone else.
The four new Congressional Medals of Honor feature portraits of the four women. On the reverses are varying images related to the space program calculations and rocket flights. The fifth medal shows a conceptual image of women silhouetted against the earth as a rocket passes overhead.
As usual, in Washington, ideas rarely fly at the speed of sound. The medals were proposed in 2019. Then, passed by an Act of Congress. They have finally taken off in 2024.
While the actual solid gold medals were presented to the families of the honored women, the US Mint is making available bronze strikes of each in 1-1/2 inch and three-inch versions. The small medal costs $20 while the larger three-inch medals costs $160. More information can be found at www.USMint.gov.
As has been said, when immigrants were headed to America, they were told, “the streets there are paved with gold.” Upon arrival, they came to realize three things. 1. The streets were not paved with gold. 2. The streets were not paved. 3. They would have to pave them.
Unquestionably, beginning in the late ‘50s, the “Hidden Figures” women at NASA paved a golden road now open to young girls of any color. The medals are an impressive and collectible reminder of that.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.