Dr. Katherine Johnson was a pioneering mathematician whose exceptional computational skills were instrumental to the success of early American space exploration. Born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, she demonstrated extraordinary mathematical talent from childhood, graduating from high school at 14 and college at 18. She became the first black female graduate student at West Virginia University in 1939, breaking racial and gender barriers in higher education. Johnson began her career at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), NASA's predecessor, in 1953, and continued her groundbreaking work after NACA transitioned to NASA in 1958.
Johnson's precise calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights, establishing her as an indispensable resource at NASA. She calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard's 1961 flight, making him the first American in space, and famously verified the orbital calculations for John Glenn's 1962 mission, with Glenn specifically requesting her to double-check the electronic computer's work before his historic flight. Her mathematical expertise was crucial in determining the launch window and trajectory for the Apollo 11 mission that successfully landed the first humans on the moon in 1969. Johnson also contributed to the development of the Space Shuttle program and created contingency procedures that helped ensure the safe return of the Apollo 13 mission after its in-flight malfunction.
Despite working during a time of segregation and gender discrimination, Johnson's excellence and precision earned her the respect of her colleagues and cemented her legacy as one of NASA's most important mathematicians. Her story, previously little known outside aerospace circles, gained widespread recognition through Margot Lee Shetterly's book Hidden Figures and the subsequent film adaptation, highlighting the critical contributions of African American women to the space program. In 2015, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, and in 2019, she received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress. Johnson's legacy continues to inspire generations of mathematicians and scientists, particularly women and people of color pursuing careers in STEM fields, with numerous educational programs and scholarships established in her honor to promote diversity in scientific disciplines.
