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Do Go On

523 - Hidden Figures: NASA's Human Computers

Do Go On

Matt Stewart, Jess Perkins & Dave Warneke

Fact, History, Facts, Comedy

4.92.4K Ratings

🗓️ 29 October 2025

⏱️ 205 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week's episode is about the human computers of NASA, focussing on the main three featured in the book Hidden Figures, heading deep into NASA's history along the way! This is the fifth most voted for topic for Block 2025!


This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 7:55 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).


For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod

 

Check out our other podcasts:

Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheat

Prime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/

Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/

Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/

Jess Writes A Rom-Com: https://shows.acast.com/jess-writes-a-rom-com


Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader Thomas


Do Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. 


REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

https://www.nasa.gov/katherine-johnson/

https://www.nasa.gov/history/mary-w-jackson/

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/dorothy-j-vaughan/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-story-of-nasas-real-ldquo-hidden-figures-rdquo/

https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/aircraft-production-in-world-war-ii-should-inspire-us-today/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/history-human-computers-180972202/

https://www.nasa.gov/history/65-years-ago-nasa-selects-americas-first-astronauts/

https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/hidden-figures/

https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/nasas-early-stand-women

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-35428300


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi everyone, Dave here to let you know that our 2025 Australia and New Zealand tour rolls on,

0:06.0

and this weekend, October 31st and November 1st, we are in Canberra and Sydney.

0:11.0

Now, Canberra was sold out for months, but the venue has moved us to a bigger room, so we've added a few last-minute tickets.

0:17.0

After Sydney the next night, all the other shows of the two are sold out, so we've added

0:21.1

extra shows in Perth, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington. For details of these shows, head to our

0:27.6

website do go onpod.com. Hope to see you there. Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On.

0:44.0

My name is Dave Warnocky and as always I'm here with Matt Stewart.

0:47.0

Oh my gosh, David is so good to be here with you.

0:49.8

It is Block.

0:50.6

It's Block and Jess Perkins.

0:52.1

Oh my God, David is so good to be here with you. It's Block! It is Bloch! Sorry, I read Matt's line. Oh, sorry. From the top? Do you want, don't at least leave me this one. Are you all ready to block and roll? Yeah. I couldn't have delivered that. No, not that.. I'll do my response. Hell yeah, brother.

1:11.3

Hell yeah, brother.

1:12.3

Dave, do you want to explain what Block is? Block is the most magical time in the do-go-one calendar where every year, I think this is the eighth one we've worked out now since the show's been going. We've been counting down the biggest, most requested topics of the year. First, it was Blockbuster October. but then we annexed November to be Blovember

1:27.6

So now we're doing the top nine of the year

1:30.4

With Matt put together a poll of a couple

1:31.8

hundred of the most requested topics that were whittled down through thousands of votes. And we are up

1:36.6

to the fifth, I believe, from the top five now most requested topic of the year. Yes, normally,

1:41.5

you know, this being the last Wednesday of October, this would normally

1:46.0

be the number one. But now, with Blovember, annexed, we still have four to come after today.

1:51.1

This is actually like a celebratory, but somber time because it's the longest time between the next

1:55.4

block and now. But now we're the most in block you can be. That's right in the heart of block. Do you kind of feel like now, if we were to go back to block just being October, it would feel so empty and shit? Yeah, call it blip tober, probably. Yeah. Blip to Blip. Oh, yeah. Welcome back to blip. Okay. Oh, what are you guys doing for blip this year? Yeah. Oh, I don't even bother, I go so quickly. Yeah. Just a Blip. Okay. You know, we're so excited. What are you guys doing for blip this year? Yeah.

2:17.5

I don't even bother, I go so quickly. Yeah. Just a blip. But no, this time we're right in the halfway mark. It's Halloween this week. And this is not a spooky topic, though. But it is a good topic. I'm easily scared, though. Yeah, there's, oh. I'll find a way.

...

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