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Al Harrison Quotes

Total quotes: 3
“Dorothy Vaughan: Mrs. Mitchell, If I could. My application for supervisor, ma’am. I was just wondering if they’re still considering me for that position.

Vivian Mitchell: Yes. Well, the official word is no. They’re not assigning a permanent supervisor for the colored group.

Dorothy Vaughan: May I ask why?

Vivian Mitchell: I don’t know why. I didn’t ask why.

Dorothy Vaughan: We need a supervisor, ma’am. We haven’t had one since Miss Jansen got sick. It’s been almost a year.

Vivian Mitchell: Things are working just fine as-is.

Dorothy Vaughan: I’m doing the work of a supervisor.

Vivian Mitchell: Well, that’s NASA for you. Fast with rocket ships, slow with advancement. Get those trajectory calcs worked out, we need them for the Redstone test.”
— Al Harrison, Hidden Figures
Tagged: NASA, Rocket Ships
“Al Harrison: Ruth, what’s the status on that computer?

Ruth: She’s right behind you, Mr. Harrison.

[he turns and sees Katherine]

Al Harrison: Does she handle Analytic Geometry?

Ruth: Absolutely, and she speaks.

Katherine Johnson: Yes, sir, I do.

Al Harrison: Which one?

Katherine Johnson: Both. Geometry and speaking.

Al Harrison: Ruth, get me the…

[Ruth hands him a piece of paper]

Al Harrison: You think you, uh, you think you can find me the Frenet Frame for this data using the Gram-Schmidt…

Katherine Johnson: Orthogonalization algorithm. Yes, sir. I prefer it over Euclidean coordinates.

Al Harrison: Okay, good. Good, then I’m going to need it by the end of the day.

Katherine Johnson: Yes.

Al Harrison: I’m also going to ask you to check Mr. Stafford’s math as well as others’ on this floor from time to time.

Paul Stafford: I can, I can handle that, Al.

Al Harrison: I’m sure you can, Paul. I’m sure they all can. But if that were the case shingles wouldn’t be flying off the heat shield, now would they?”
— Al Harrison, Hidden Figures
Tagged: NASA, Algorithms, Geometry, Frenet Frame
“[referring to their meeting with Jim Webb]

Al Harrison: How did that feel in there, Paul? You think you enlightened the administrator? Hm? No, he didn’t look enlightened to me. He look enlightened to you, Sam?

Sam Turner: Not particularly.

Al Harrison: And just so you know, he’s not wrong about what he said in there. You know that, right? Because now that they can get up there, a bomb will follow. It’s what happens to all our good ideas. I imagine theirs too. Where’s… Where’s the machine?

Ruth: Any day now, Mr. Harrison.

Al Harrison: Any day now.

Ruth: Yes, sir.

Al Harrison: What’s it called? The initials?

Ruth: The IBM.

Paul Stafford: International Business Machines.

Al Harrison: Space is a business. I need a mathematician.

Ruth: I’ll put in another request, sir.

Al Harrison: Another request. Jesus Christ. We don’t have a single person in this entire building that can handle analytic geometry?

Ruth: That’s what I’ve been told.

Al Harrison: Tell me something else, Ruth, like we’re going to find such a person before the Russians plant a flag on the damn moon.”
— Al Harrison, Hidden Figures
Tagged: russians, Spies, NASA, Space Program, IBM
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