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You may have first\nheard about Katherine Goble Johnson when the movie Hidden Figures<\/em> was\nreleased in late 2016. Born before the time of the internet and laptops, she\nwas known as a \u201ccomputer\u201d at Langely Research center. When she started, her job\nwas to analyze, but eventually, her calculations led to sending Americas first astronaut\ninto space. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Katherine\nJohnson was born in West Virginia on August 26th<\/sup>, 1918. A brilliant\ngirl, she was fascinated by numbers and quickly skipped grades during her\neducation and was years ahead of kids her age. However, in the town of White\nSulphur Springs, black children could not get an education beyond junior high.\nBecause of this, her family moved over 100 miles away so she and her siblings could\nhave the opportunity to attend high school.1<\/sup> By the time she was 10 years\nold, she was in high school, and by the age of 15 she entered college at West\nVirginia State College.1a, 2<\/sup> While this is an amazing feat\nit of itself, she made quick work of the curriculum and graduated summa cum\nlaude in 1937, at the age of 18.1a<\/sup> After graduation, she became\na teacher, and two years later was one of three black students to be offered a\nspot in the mathematics graduate program in the all-white West Virginia\nUniversity.3<\/sup> It wasn\u2019t until after the\n1938 Supreme Court ruling that black students were able to enroll in white\ncolleges.4<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the first semester, Katherine\ndecided to start a family with her first husband, James Goble, and left her\ngraduate program. She gave birth to three girls, and returned to teaching.5<\/sup> In 1952 she learned about an\nopportunity at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory at the National Advisory\nCommittee on Aeronautics (NACA). At a time still heavily controlled by Jim Crow\nLaws, she joined a team of all-black all-female \u201chuman computers\u201d under the\nguidance of mathematician Dorothy Vaughan.1a, 3<\/sup> There, her talents were\nclearly recognized as she moved from her temporary position to a permanent one,\nand was assigned to the Flight Research Division where she spent 4 years\nanalyzing data from flight tests. Unfortunately, her first husband also passed\nduring this time.5<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n In October 1957,\nthe world advanced as the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I, and the\nspace race intensified between the USA and Russia. Engineers, mathematicians,\nand scientists came together to form the \u201cSpace Task Force\u201d and NACA was\nofficially changed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.1b<\/sup> During her time, she had\ncontributed to \u201cNotes on Space Technology\u201d and the trajectory analysis for Alan\nShepard\u2019s May 1961 mission.3, 5<\/sup> Katherine Johnson was\nofficially credited for her work in the report, \u201cDetermination of Azimuth Angle\nat Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position\u201d and was the\nfirst woman in her division to be given credit.3, 6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Her pioneering\nwork helped drive the United States space program forward. In 1962, as NASA was\npreparing for the orbital mission of John Glenn, electronic computer systems\nwere becoming more advanced and they were planning on using a worldwide\ncommunications network to help with the mission. However, the latest technology\nhad some astronauts wary of the accuracy of the electronic calculations, and\nGlenn asked Katherine to double check the system. He stated, \u201cif she says\nthey\u2019re good, then I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Katherine Goble Johnson is a testimony to hard work and dedication, and the curiosity that drives us. The obstacles she faced, racism and bigotry, segregation, and the death of her first husband, must have been taxing and difficult to endure. Her calculations helped propel the USA into space which in turn helped to accelerate our understanding of the world beyond our own. In recent years, she has finally been recognized for her outstanding achievements and received many awards. In 2015, Katherine G. Johnson was awarded the Presidential Metal of Freedom by President Barak Obama. She also received a Silver Snoopy Award in 2016 and Congressional Gold Metals in 2019.1a<\/sup> Katherine Johnson died on February 24, 2020 at the age of 101. Although she is gone, she continues to serve as an inspiration and her life\u2019s work is celebrated. We recommend watching the movie Hidden Figures<\/em> to learn more about Katherine Johnson and the other amazing black women who were involved in the space program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by Magenta Hensinger 1. (a)\nMalcom, S. M., Katherine Johnson (1918\u20132020). Science <\/em>2020,<\/strong> 386<\/em>, 591; (b) Hodges, J. She Was a\nComputer When Computers Wore Skirts. https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/langley\/news\/researchernews\/rn_kjohnson.html<\/a>\n(accessed 6\/10\/2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. May, S. Who Was Katherine Johnson? https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/audience\/forstudents\/k-4\/stories\/nasa-knows\/who-was-katherine-johnson-k4<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Shetterly, M. L., Katherine Johnson\n(1918\u20132020). Nature <\/em>2020,<\/strong> 570<\/em>, 341.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Hostuttler, L. Preserving the History\nof WVU\u2019s First African-American Graduates. https:\/\/news.lib.wvu.edu\/2017\/11\/13\/preserving-the-history-of-wvus-first-african-american-graduates\/<\/a>\n(accessed 6\/10\/2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edited by Rebecca Bogart and Lily Tatusko<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n