Dr. Christine Mann Darden, a “hidden figure” who was featured in Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 book, retired from NASA Langley Research Center in 2007 after 40 years of service. As a member of NASA’s Senior Executive Service, her final assignment at Langley was as Director of the Office of Strategic Communications and Education (OSCE). Darden also previously served as Director of the Aero Performing Center Program Management Office (APCPMO), as a Senior Program Manager in NASA's High-Speed Research (HSR) Program Office, and for nearly 30 years as an internationally known researcher in high-speed aerodynamics and sonic boom minimization research. Prior to her NASA career, she taught high school mathematics.
Darden is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and a Past Secretary of its Technical Committee on Aero-acoustics. She has also held membership in several honor or technical societies.
During her NASA career, Darden authored over 57 technical papers and articles, primarily in the areas of sonic boom prediction, sonic boom minimization, and supersonic wing design. She is recognized as an international expert in these areas.
Darden has been recognized with dozens of awards and honors—including two NASA Medals, the Black Engineer of the Year Outstanding Achievement in Government Award and the Women in Science & Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also received honorary doctorates from Old Dominion University, Muskingum University (John Glenn’s alma mater), and North Carolina State University.