Katherine Johnson was a mathematical genius whose orbital calculations made human spaceflight possible. She joined NACA (later NASA) in 1953 as one of the "human computers" — Black women hired to perform mathematical calculations by hand. She computed the trajectory for Alan Shepard's first American spaceflight (1961) and verified the IBM computer's numbers for John Glenn's orbital mission. Glenn famously refused to fly the Friendship 7 mission unless Johnson personally verified the calculations — "If she says they're good, then I'm ready to go." She was 101 years old when she passed away in 2020, having seen humanity walk on the Moon because of her numbers. Her work was classified and largely unpublished for decades until the book and film "Hidden Figures" (2016) finally brought her story to the world.
Key Contribution
Calculated trajectories for Mercury and Apollo missions. Her hand-computed orbital mechanics for Apollo 11 were used as a backup system throughout the mission. John Glenn refused to fly until she personally verified the electronic computer's numbers. Pioneered the use of electronic computers at NASA and trained the next generation of mathematicians.
“I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church. Anything that could be counted, I did.”
— Katherine Johnson
Works & Achievements
- ✦28 research reports published at NASA
- ✦Trajectory calculations for Alan Shepard's first US spaceflight (1961)
- ✦Orbital mechanics verification for John Glenn's Friendship 7 (1962)
- ✦Apollo 11 mission calculations (1969)
- ✦Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015)
- ✦Congressional Gold Medal (2019)
- ✦NASA Langley Research Center building named in her honor