Hidden Figures Bronze Medal Dr. Christine Darden

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

The obverse (heads) depicts a portrait of Dr. Darden holding a model plane. Inscriptions are “DR. CHRISTINE DARDEN,” “PERCEIVE, PLAN, PREPARE, PERSIST,” and “P4.”

The reverse (tail) design highlights Dr. Darden’s illustrious career. The stars symbolize her four decades of service at NASA, while the graph shows a sonic boom cone hitting the ground, explaining in visual form some of the mathematical formulas that describe the air pressures involved in sonic boom minimization. Inscriptions are “ACT OF CONGRESS 2019” and “SONIC BOOM MINIMIZATION LEADER AT NASA FOR 16 YEARS OUT OF 40 YEARS OF SERVICE.”