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May 25, 2017 · Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson (1918– ) is an African-American mathematician who made valuable contributions to critical aeronautics and space programs of the NACA and NASA. Overcoming the constraints of segregation and gender bias, she progressed from mathematical tasks, such as computing experimental flight and ground-test data using a mechanical Frieden calculator for the NACA, to the ...
- Katherine Johnson Biography
Glenn’s flight was a success, and marked a turning point in...
- Katherine Johnson Biography
- Johnson's Road to NASA
- NACA Becomes NASA
- Notable Achievements
- Johnson's Legacy
Johnson was born in 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the youngest of four children. From a very young age, she had a fascination with numbers, which would lead her to defy all expectations throughout her life. "I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed … ...
In 1958, NACA became NASA. Johnson's time working for NASA would prove to be a more positive experience with regards to racial segregation given NASA's diversity policies. "Once NASA comes online in 1958 you see the build up of a lot of centres in the south. Today we'll think of Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Marshall Space Flight Centre in Hunts...
With the Soviet Union launching the Sputnik satellite in 1957, the US was determined not to fall behind and so the Space Racebegan. Johnson's passion was geometry, which was useful for calculating the trajectories of spacecraft. For NASA's 1961 Mercury mission, she knew that the trajectory would be a parabola, a type of symmetrical curve. So when N...
Johnson spent the following years speaking to students about her extraordinary career, encouraging them to pursue STEM education. "Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away," she said at the NASA Trailblazers and Legends STEM Conference in Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2010. "There will always be science, engineering and technology....
Sep 18, 2024 · Katherine Johnson (born August 26, 1918, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S.—died February 24, 2020, Newport News, Virginia) was an American mathematician who calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program. Her work helped send astronauts to the Moon.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Katherine Johnson’s knowledge of mathematics was instrumental in the return of the Apollo astronauts from the Moon to Earth.
- In 1939 Johnson was selected to be one of the first three African American students to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University. La...
- Katherine Johnson’s maiden name was Coleman. From 1939 to 1956 she was Katherine Goble, having married James Goble. Three years after his death, sh...
An animation exploring the life of Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who joined NASA's space program in the 1950s and played a crucial role in calculating the trajectories for their space missions.
Nov 22, 2016 · Glenn’s flight was a success, and marked a turning point in the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in space. When asked to name her greatest contribution to space exploration, Johnson would talk about the calculations that helped synch Project Apollo’s Lunar Module with the lunar-orbiting Command and Service Module.
Oct 8, 2020 · For her contributions to space exploration, Katherine Johnson, who died in February 2020 at the age of 101, was selected as the 2020 recipient of the National Geographic Society Hubbard Medal ...
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Creola Katherine Johnson (née Coleman; August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020) was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. [1][2] During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, she earned a reputation for ...
