‘Hidden Figures’ brings back memories of space exploration for Hampton woman

Joyce Blum recalls brother’s work on Apollo 11

     Joyce Blum considers herself a consumer of art and culture, immersing herself in many experiences and perspectives. Her recent venture to the movies however brought her back to her own experiences, to the historical adventures of her brother.

     Blum was one of the first to see the Academy Award nominated film “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox) when it opened at the Windsor Theater in Hampton. A historical film based on the true story, “Hidden Figures” tells the narrative of three black women who were instrumental in the first U.S. manned-orbit mission around the Earth, Mercury-Atlas 6.

     As the film went on, Blum found herself nodding her head in agreement with the film’s historical accuracy, recalling testimonies her brother had made to her while he was an aircraft engineer, when she remembered that he built the Mercury No. 13 as an engineer with McDonnel Aircraft, the ship rode by Astronaut John Glenn, Jr. during the mission, in 1962.

     Read the full article in the March 2 edition of the papers.