You tell me when you want it and where you want it to land, and I'll do it backward and tell you when to take off." That was my forte.Įven after NASA had electronic computers, John Glenn requested that Katherine personally recheck the computer calculations before his 1962 Friendship 7 flight – the first American mission to orbit Earth. Johnson proved that with determination, ambition and a drive to succeed you can achieve great things no matter the odds stacked against you.As a human computer, Katherine calculated the trajectory for astronaut Alan Shepard’s 1961 Freedom 7 mission to space – the first spaceflight for an American.Įarly on, when they said they wanted the capsule to come down at a certain place, they were trying to compute when it should start. In 2015, she received the ultimate acknowledgement, when President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Johnson was the first woman to co-write a research report in the Flight Research Division, where she worked, and she wrote and co-wrote 26 research reports. The release of “Hidden Figures” made Johnson one of the most celebrated black women in space science and a hero for those calling for action against sexism and racism in science and engineering.
KATHERINE JOHNSON NASA MATH MOVIE
Johnson and her colleagues received mainstream recognition, with the publication of “Hidden Figures” (William Morrow and Co., 2016) by Margot Lee Shetterly and the release of the blockbuster movie of the same name. Everything is physics and math.”Īs a black woman working for NASA in the 1950s and ’60s, Johnson overcame many social boundaries and racial discrimination. And there will always, always be mathematics. But, “There will always be science, engineering and technology. Johnson’s fundamental philosophy towards STEM subjects went “Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away”. Johnson spent the following years speaking to students about her incredible career, encouraging them to pursue STEM throughout their education. And, unsurprisingly, John Glenn’s trip around the world was a success!įollowing Johnson’s career with NASA, her extraordinary life didn’t standstill. Her mathematical knowledge was so well relied on and trusted that the mantra was “if she says they’re good, then I’m ready to go”. Therefore, Johnson would check the numbers by hand. Still, the astronauts didn’t trust the electronic calculating machines, as they would sometimes stop working or run into problems. NASA had some powerful computers which could control where the spaceship would go. This breakthrough couldn’t have happened without Johnson’s superhuman mathematical contributions to the project. Following this, he orbited Earth three times. Ten years later, In 1962, the USA decided to send John Glenn around the world in a spaceship. Following this, Johnson contributed to the department by tackling some incredibly complex mathematical concepts that helped to send astronauts up to space. She got the job and worked there for many years. And, in 1952, Johnson found out that she could work for NASA at the all-black West Area Computing section. Johnson and two male students became the first black people to attend graduate school, at West Virginia State University. In 1939, Johnson was already making positive changes. She was moved up several years in school after proving her mathematical skills. It became evident from a young age that she had a real talent for numbers.
Katherine Johnson was always brilliant with numbers. Johnson was born in 1918, in West Virginia, USA. Johnson achieved extraordinary things with her incredible mathematical knowledge.ĭefying the odds that stacked against her Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician who famously calculated the flight-paths of spacecraft while working for NASA.
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