The Northrop Grumman space station supply ship – named the SS Katherine Johnson in honor of the late mathematician and whose work inspired the film “Hidden Figures” – was launched into orbit Saturday.
Saturday marked the 59th anniversary of the launch of the historic John Glenn, in which Johnson provided calculations as part of NASA’s computer pool. Johnson, along with other Black women, worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., Processing data that has played a key role in several historical space missions, The Associated Press reported.
“Mrs Johnson was chosen for her handwritten calculation that helped put the first Americans into space, as well as her achievements in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a Black woman, ”Said Northrop Grumman Vice President Frank DeMauro, according to the AP.
DeMauro also suggested that viewers launch the film “Hidden Figures” to learn more about what Johnson put on after its launch on Saturday.
Johnson died in February last year at the age of 101.
The four-ton capsule, launched by Northrop Grumman for NASA, will deliver food to astronauts as well as nearly 120,000 round worms for muscle testing and computer equipment for data processing, the AP said.
Saturday’s announcement marked the 15th station supply run that Northrop Grumman has made for NASA.