Poppy Northcutt was hired in 1965 through NASA contractor TRW after graduating early from the University of Texas with a degree in mathematics.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by Wikipedia (sourced to NASA JSC oral history), AIAA/Aerospace America, and multiple derivative biographical sources with no contradictions. [cascade flags: wikipedia_dropped_other_sources_exist | tier=silver indep_score=0.925 clusters=2 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Inside Apollo mission control, from the eyes of the first woman on the job (seed:science_and_space)
- https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/women-reflect-on-apollo/ (corroboration)
- https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/NorthcuttFM/NorthcuttFM_11-14-18.htm (corroboration)