Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
6d ago

Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Calculations Anchored GPS, Dies at 95

Recognition came late after decades of classified Navy geodesy that fed the World Geodetic System.

Image
3DH3456 Dr. Gladys West is inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame during a ceremony in her honor at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Dec. 6, 2018. West was among the so-called "Hidden Figures" part of the team who did computing for the U.S. military in the era before electronic systems. The Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame is one of Air Force's Space Commands Highest Honors.(Photo by Adrian Cadiz, U.S. Air Force ). Image shot 2018. Exact date unknown.
West’s key contribution to modern life came to light only in the past decade

Overview

  • She died on Jan. 17, 2026, at age 95, according to multiple obituaries.
  • Joining the Naval Surface Warfare Center in 1956 as one of few Black employees, she progressed from verifying bombing tables to leading geodesy teams.
  • Using the IBM 7030 “Stretch,” she computed a precise Earth geoid that accounted for gravitational variations, tides, and ocean curvature.
  • Her models, refined with data from projects such as Seasat and Geosat, were incorporated into the World Geodetic System used by GPS satellites.
  • Public credit emerged only in 2018 after a sorority biography prompted coverage, leading to honors including the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Award and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Prince Philip Medal.