Ms Johnson calculated rocket trajectories and Earth orbits for Nasa’s
early space missions.
She was
portrayed in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures.
The film tells
the story of African-American women whose maths skills helped put US astronaut
John Glenn into orbit around the Earth in 1962. Ms Johnson verified the
calculations made by new electronic computers before his flight.
Nasa
administrator Jim Bridenstine described Ms Johnson as “a leader from our
pioneering days”.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“Her dedication
and skill 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 we now
follow on a journey to Mars.”
Ms Johnson was
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Then-US President Barack
Obama later cited her in his State of the Union address as an example of the
country’s spirit of discovery.
Bio: https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography
Article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51619848
Source: https://myfusimotors.com/2020/02/25/katherine-johnson-hidden-figures-nasa-mathematician-dies-at-101/
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