![]() In 2020, NASA launched a satellite named for her. Johnson Computational Research Center in Virginia and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia. NASA has dedicated two buildings to her: the Katherine G. ![]() Incredibly, this charismatic and gregarious mathematician accomplished all this while breaking the dual barriers of racism and sexism. She was author or co-author of 26 NASA research reports. When asked about her important contributions, Johnson noted the orbital linking calculations for the Apollo Lunar Lander and Command Modules, as well as later work on the Space Shuttle and Landsat Satellite. She was instrumental in the adoption of the new electronic computers when they became available as well as verifying the calculations that were produced. Her skills, maturity, and persistence led her to the Flight Research Division, where she initiated and developed early orbital models for astronaut flights. At age 34, she accepted a job at NASA in an all-Black unit doing tedious hand calculations of flight trajectories. She was one of 3 students handpicked to integrate the University of West Virginia graduate school, though she dropped out to teach and raise a family. Johnson’s early curiosity and math skills propelled her to graduate from high school at 14 and earn an honors college degree in Mathematics and French. ![]() She was one of the now-famous NASA human computers portrayed in the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures”. A West Virginia girl who “loved to count everything” and inspirational mathematician, Katherine Johnson grew up to be awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom and have two NASA buildings named for her.
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