Hidden Figures put the spotlight onto the lives of three women who helped changed the course of history and yet, before this, you may never have even heard of them.

Hidden Figures focuses on the lives of black women, living in the still segregated United States during the 60s and the early days of the NASA space program. It follows their lives as all three of them step up into roles pivotal to the success of John Glenn’s orbit mission– America’s first manned journey of its kind.

From human computers to integral cogs in the mechanism of NASA, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson may not have been household names, but the film shows that if it weren’t for them, the John Glenn space mission that inspired a nation would not have been possible. By breaking boundaries, stereotypes and the pull of gravity, this movie is a huge success, and nominated for an Oscar.