Gladys West, GPS pioneer and one of the 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 95

Gladys West, 95, died of natural causes, her family announced on X, according to NPR. West spent 42 years at the Naval Proving Ground and helped develop models of Earth's shape that contributed to GPS.

Gladys West, a mathematician whose work contributed to modern GPS, has died at age 95. Her family posted on X that she died of natural causes and passed peacefully with family and friends. West spent much of her career at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, where she developed models of the Earth's shape that supported satellite navigation. Her role became more widely known after the 2016 book and film "Hidden Figures." Key facts: - West died at age 95; a family X post cited by NPR reported the death as due to natural causes and said she passed peacefully. - She was born Oct. 27, 1930, in Sutherland, Virginia; she was valedictorian of her high school class and attended Virginia State College on a full scholarship, earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in mathematics. - West began working at the Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren in 1955 and remained there for 42 years; her work included a 1960s study on planetary motion and later modeling that helped refine GPS. - She used complex algorithms and programmed the IBM 7030 computer (Stretch) to account for gravitational, tidal and other forces that affect the Earth's shape, work cited by the Department of Defense as contributing to GPS orbits. - Her career received wider public recognition after the 2016 publication of Margot Lee Shetterly's book "Hidden Figures" and the film adaptation; awards and honors followed. She was predeceased in 2024 by her husband, Ira, and is survived by three children and seven grandchildren. Summary: Her calculations and programming helped refine models of the Earth's shape that contributed to the satellite orbits used in GPS, and her career gained wider recognition after the 2016 book and film "Hidden Figures." Undetermined at this time.