Glenn apparently personally requested that Johnson verify the flight trajectory that had been worked out by one of the new electronic computers. In 1958, she joined the newly formed NASA, where she calculated the flight trajectory for the missions of first American in space Alan Shepard and first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn. Johnson became one of a group of human computers who calculated (using slide rule and log tables) the flight dynamics of aircraft to help improve their safety and operation. Not the super-fast electronic technology of today, or even lumbering mechanical valve-driven machinery, but people. In the 1950s, the US government was continuing to develop its flight capabilities, for which it required computers. Katherine became a wife, a mother and a teacher, and her story might have ended there, if it hadn’t been for her drive to continue with her mathematics. Her ability in mathematics was such that she continued her schooling beyond high school (very unusual for African-American children at that time) and had graduated from college by the time she was 18. Katherine Coleman was born in 1918 in West Virginia and showed very early on that she was no ordinary child. In telling Johnson and her colleagues’ stories, the film shed light not only on advances in technology but also the status of black people in society and the role of women in the workplace and in science. And I have seen it at least twice since when I have led discussions about the significance of the film, drawing on my own experience of working in the space industry. I have rarely watched a film that has moved me as much as Hidden Figures did when I first saw it. Johnson’s story and significant contributions to the US space programme, along with those of Dorothy Vaughan (a computer scientist) and Mary Jackson (an engineer), were brought to widespread public attention by the 2016 book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly and film of the same name. Add a few more facts – she was a woman, she was black and working in the US in the 1950s to early 1960s – and the scale of her success becomes more apparent. But on paper neither of those facts would make her stand out from the crowd. She was a mathematician and she worked for NASA. But up until a few years ago, hardly anyone had heard of her or her achievements. “Like what you do, and then you will do your best,” she said in an interview with NASA.Ĭlick here to watch LSC’s tribute to Katherine Johnson at our Genius Gala in 2017, including a speech from her daughter Joylette Goble Hylick.Katherine Johnson, who has died at the age of 101, was an amazing woman. She encouraged them to learn more about STEM careers and to never give up on their dreams. Throughout her retirement, Johnson continued to encourage young scientists to study and work hard. In 2016, NASA named a building after her in their Langley Research Center in Virginia. She received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In her long career, she broke the barriers of both gender and race, and inspired women of all backgrounds globally with her accomplishments. Most notably, in 1969, she was part of the team that calculated where and when to launch the rocket for the Apollo 11 mission – an initiative that sent the first three astronauts to the moon! Johnson later worked on the space shuttle program before retiring in 1986. In 1961, she calculated the path for Freedom 7, the spacecraft that put the first U.S. space program’s early successful launches. Johnson’s ability to calculate precise trajectories was essential to the U.S. In 1953, Johnson began her career at NASA as a “human computer” – a term used for those tasked with solving difficult math problems by themselves, long before computers like those we have today existed. In 1939, Johnson became one of the first African American students to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University, where she continued her studies in mathematics. At only 10, Johnson began attending high school, and at the age of 18 she graduated with the highest honors from West Virginia State College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and French. Henson in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” and in 2017 she was honored with a Genius Award at LSC’s Genius Gala.īut Johnson’s story began in 1918, when she was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Katherine Johnson (1918 – 2020) was portrayed by Taraji P. March 8 is International Women’s Day, and today Liberty Science Center celebrates NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson!
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