The women known as the ‘hidden figures’ and the inspiration behind the film of the same name will be awarded Congressional Gold Medals which are the highest civilian award in the US.

The Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump to felicitate the women who worked at NASA during the Space Race. CNN reports that the engineers Christine Darden and Mary Jackson and mathematician Katherine Johnson and computer programmer Dorothy Vaughan were awarded the gold medals – Vaughan and Jackson’s medals were awarded posthumously.

These ‘hidden figures’ were the women who worked at NASA and were considered human computers and did calculations that took man to the moon. CNN also reports that these women were crucial during aircraft testing during World War 2, supersonic flight research, and sending the Voyager probes to explore the solar system.

“The groundbreaking accomplishments of these four women, and all of the women who contributed to the success of NASA, helped us win the space race but remained in the dark far too long,” said US Senator Kamala Harris in a press release.