NASA mathematician and legend Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101, The New York Times reports. The inspiration for the 2016 film Hidden figures, Johnson was famous for measuring the equations that the first astronauts sent to the moon and breaking down barriers in science and technology as a black woman in the time of civil rights.
Katherine Johnson had the knot for numbers obvious from a young age. She was born in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, on August 26, 1918, and enrolled directly into second grade as soon as she was old enough to go to school. She graduated college summa cum laude at the age of 18 after taking all available maths classes.
In the 1950s, NASA hired Johnson to become one of the female “computers” tasked with taking the numbers necessary for missions off the ground. She was personally responsible for determining the equations that orbiter John Glenn put into orbit in 1962. After requesting that Johnson double-check the mathematics of the computer by hand, he said, “If she says they’re good, I’m ready to make that go away. ”
Her main job was working on the Apollo 11 mission. Johnson worked closely with NASA engineers to determine when and where the first human-launched shuttle to the moon was launched, fully aware that even a tiny mistake led to national tragedy. On July 20, 1969, the first astronauts landed on the moon, thanks in part to its computing power.
As a black woman working in a predominantly white field with men in the 1960s, what Johnson contributed to space history for years was not recognized. She lived long enough to be one of the few marginalized people in science to receive well-deserved awards, albeit late. In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded Johnson a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2016, her work at NASA was featured in the Oscar-nominated film Hidden figures. Johnson also nurtured a lifelong love of experience, earning an honorary doctorate from the University of West Virginia more than 75 years after graduating from graduate school.
Johnson died Monday morning, Feb. 24, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine shared Twitter. He said in the news, “She was an American hero and her original legacy will never be forgotten.”
[h/t The New York Times]