Hidden Figures tells the story of three African American women mathematicians who worked as human computers for NASA. It takes place from the 1930s through the 1960s, during a time when "computer" was a job description. These highly intelligent women faced discrimination in the workplace, not only as women but also as African Americans. Despite the discrimination, they were able to solve engineering problems and calculate rocket trajectories to help land men on the moon. The setting of the story is the Langley Research Center, specifically West Computing, which is where the research center placed the black women who worked as human computers. Langley Research Center is based in Hampton, Virginia, which was still a segregated state during this time, so they kept these women separated from the rest of the employees.