r/AllThatsInteresting • u/kooneecheewah • 11h ago
Before she was Jack Black's mom, Judith Love Cohen helped design the NASA system that saved Apollo 13 in 1970. She was so committed to her job that while she was in labor, she was still solving engineering problems from the hospital.
Before she was known as Jack Black's mom, Judith Love Cohen was a NASA aerospace engineer who helped design the Abort Guidance System — a critical backup that helped save the Apollo 13 crew in 1970. She earned her degree in engineering from USC and was part of the less than 1% of engineers who were women at the time.
She famously brought technical documents to the hospital while in labor in August 1969 and continued working through the delivery. After retiring, she co-authored a series of books to encourage young girls to explore careers in STEM.
Read more about her astounding life here: How Aerospace Engineer Judith Love Cohen Broke Barriers And Helped Save Apollo 13