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Local NASA pioneer Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101. Her work was featured in the 2016 film Hidden Figures.
Originally from White Sulphur Springs, WV, she was handpicked to be one of three black students to integrate West Virginia’s graduate schools—just one of the many pioneering moments of her long life. After moving with her husband to Newport News, VA, to pursue work at Langley in the summer of 1953, she quickly became a mainstay at the organization. She was such a skilled mathematician that she was known among her peers as a "human computer." During her 35-year career she was critical to the success of the first U.S. manned spaceflights.
Several years ago, Johnson appeared on What Matters for a conversation with Cathy Lewis. Watch her discuss why astronauts relied more on her calculations than on computers.
Watch the full interview below.
On the morning of her passing NASA tweeted about her legacy:
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: https://t.co/Tl3tsHAfYB pic.twitter.com/dGiGmEVvAW
— NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2020
Johnson died on February 24, 2020.
