Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician who was one of the inspirations for the Hollywood film, Hidden Figures, has sadly died aged 101.
The pioneering African-American mathematician’s calculations were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed space flights. Johnson’s work also helped break down many of the social and racial barriers at the time.
Johnson was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1953 and worked in the racially segregated computing unit until 1958, when NACA became NASA. In the same year, Johnson joined Project Mercury, the US’s first human space program, as one of the ‘computers’ who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits by hand.
In 1961, Johnson was responsbile for the trajectory analysis for the Freedom 7 Mission – the first to carry an American into space.
In 1962, she went on to manually verify calculations for astronaut John Glenn’s orbital mission, when the US beat the USSR in the Space Race.
In 1969, Johnson calculated the trajectories that allowed Apollo 11 to land on the moon and Neil Armstrong to make his historic walk.
In 2015, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, by President Barack Obama.
In 2016, Taraji P. Henson portrayed her in the film, Hidden Figures.
In a tweet, NASA recognised Johnson, saying, “We’re saddened by the passing of celebrated #HiddenFigures mathematician Katherine Johnson. Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers.”
In a statement, NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine said, “Ms Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of colour in the universal human quest to explore space.”
“Her dedication and skll as a mathematician helped put humans on the Moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space that the first steps in space that we now follow on a journey to Mars.”
