mission:60s featured guest

Frances “Poppy” Northcutt is a pioneering mathematician, aerospace engineer, and attorney who became the first woman to work as an engineer in NASA’s Mission Control. Working with NASA contractor TRW, she helped develop the critical return-to-Earth trajectories for the Apollo missions, including Apollo 8 and Apollo 11, and played a role in bringing the Apollo 13 astronauts safely home. Northcutt later became an attorney and advocate for women’s rights, continuing her legacy as a trailblazer in both space exploration and public service.