Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. Johnson had a long and successful career at NASA and she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks. The space agency noted her “historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist“.
Johnson’s work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit, and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a mission to Mars.
In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom; in 2016, she was presented the Silver Snoopy Award by NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin and; she received a NASA Group Achievement Award.
She was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson as a lead character in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. Katherine passed away on 24 February 2020 at 101 years old. Her remarkable life continues to inspire many young black women across the globe.
Words from a Black Woman 