Featured Image Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/Wikicommons
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Technology, Space, Science
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Technology, Space, Science
Jack Black actually boasts some pretty impressive heritage as social media users are now learning how 'amazing' his mum was.
For those in need of a reminder, Black was born in Santa Monica, California on 28 August 1969 to Thomas William Black and Judith Love Cohen.
By the time he was born, he already had three older half-siblings - scientist Neil Siegel, Howard Siegel (who died in 1989), and Rachel Siegel - from his mum's first marriage to engineer Bernard Siegel.
Prior to producing her Golden Globe nominated actor son, now 55, Judith Love Cohen had already made quite a name for herself.
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It turns out that Black's mother was none other than a ground-breaking aerospace engineer, who had plethora of history-making achievements under her belt prior to her death in 2016.
Amongst her earliest successes was her engineering contribution to the development of the Minuteman missile - a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile which, to this day, remains in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command.
Cohen also worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, and the Apollo Space Program.
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The latter achievement on her jaw-dropping CV is arguably the most impressive, with Cohen often being credited as having helped save Apollo 13 by assisting in the development of the Abort-Guidance System in the Lunar Module.
The system saw the space craft returned safely to Earth following the explosion of an oxygen tank, which destroyed its Service Module and forced the astronauts inside to use their Lunar Module as a 'lifeboat'.
The module suffered both electrical power issues and limited water supplies, however - and its Primary Guidance and Navigation System was faulty.
As such, the Abort-Guidance System, which Judith contributed to, was used to see the team of explorers returned to Earth.
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Not only that but she did it all on the day she gave birth to Black - with the story being confirmed by his half-brother, Neil Siegel, who wrote in her obituary: "When it was time to go to the hospital, she took with her a computer printout of the problem she was working on.
"Later that day, she called her boss and told him that she had solved the problem. And . . . oh, yes, the baby was born, too."
In 2016, Judith passed away at the age of 82 from cancer, and in 2023, Black paid a tribute to his late mother, highlighting her almighty achievements in a sweet new Instagram post.
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Sharing a snap of Cohen, he wrote: "It’s true…my mom was a bad-ass aerospace engineer… And also a loving mother…I miss you mama!"
Naturally, the comments were quickly flooded with messages of astonishment.
"That’s really interesting wow," one gushed, as another added: "Amazing! Such a lovely and inspiring lady. You have amazing DNA Jack!"
"Unreal," a third went on. "And she gave us the one-of-a-kind Jack Black. Legendary contributes to the world. Girl power on another level!"