
Year: 1953
Who: Katherine Johnson
Where: Langley, Hampton, Virginia
What: A mathematician with a passion for precision and an unshakable determination to excel, Johnson transformed the way we understood space travel. Born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, she displayed an exceptional talent for numbers from an early age, completing high school at 14 and graduating college at 18. But it wasn’t just her intellect that set her apart—it was her courage to ask questions, challenge norms, and claim her space in rooms where few Black women had ever been invited.
In 1953, Johnson began working as a “computer” at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), performing complex calculations by hand. Her skill and determination quickly set her apart. At a time when African American women were often relegated to supporting roles, Johnson broke barriers by asking questions, asserting herself in meetings, and proving her worth as a mathematician. When NACA transitioned into NASA, she became a central figure in solving the mathematical challenges of human spaceflight.
Johnson’s brilliance lay in her ability to reduce complex problems to their geometric foundations. In 1961, she calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard’s historic first American manned spaceflight. A year later, she validated the work of NASA’s new electronic computers, ensuring John Glenn’s successful orbit around Earth. Glenn famously requested that Johnson personally verify the calculations before his flight, a testament to her precision and reputation.
Her crowning achievement came in 1969 when she plotted the trajectory for the Apollo 11 mission, enabling the first successful moon landing. Later, during the Apollo 13 crisis, her calculations were critical in devising safe contingency plans.
Retiring in 1986, Johnson’s legacy continued to inspire. Her contributions, immortalized in the book and film Hidden Figures, underscored her role not only as a mathematician but as a trailblazer who shattered racial and gender barriers to help humanity reach the stars.
Sources:
Journal Articles:
Bien-Aimé, S. (2024). “Hidden” no more: Newspapers’ framing of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. Journal of Black Studies, 55(4), 310-328. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00219347231225746?ai=1gvoi&mi=3ricys&af=R
Houston, J. (2019). The life and pioneering contributions of an African American centenarian: Mathematician Katherine G. Johnson. Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 66(3). https://www.ams.org/journals/notices/201903/201903FullIssue.pdf
Websites:
Biography.com. (2021). Katherine Johnson - Mathematician, NASA, & Hidden Figures. https://www.biography.com/scientists/katherine-g-johnson
NASA. (n.d.). Katherine Johnson: A Lifetime of STEM. https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/katherine-johnson-a-lifetime-of-stem/