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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.
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.
- 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...
Nov 22, 2016 · Author of Hidden Figures. Nov 22, 2016. Born: Aug. 26, 1918. Died: Feb. 24, 2020. Hometown: White Sulphur Springs, WV. Education: B.S., Mathematics and French, West Virginia State College, 1937. Hired by NACA: June 1953. Retired from NASA: 1986. Actress Playing Role in Hidden Figures: Taraji P. Henson. Biography by Margot Lee Shetterly.
Oct 10, 2016 · Best Known For: One of NASA's human 'computers,' Katherine Johnson performed the complex calculations that enabled humans to successfully achieve space flight. Her story is depicted in the 2016...
Nearly two decades before the Little Rock Nine, Katherine Johnson was chosen as one of three Black students, and the first Black woman, to integrate West Virginia University and pursue graduate studies. She studied math, but soon left to start a family.
Feb 24, 2020 · By age 10, Johnson was in high school. In NASA’s early years, gifted mathematicians analyzed and verified complex aerospace data. Today, one of the most recognized of these ‘human computers’ is Katherine Johnson.
Katherine Johnson was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. As a girl, Katherine loved to count. “I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed…anything that could be counted, I did.”
