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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 25 February 2020

Pioneering black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson dies

By BEN FINLEY "You tell me when and
Associated Press where you want it to come
Katherine Johnson, a math- down, and I will tell you
ematician who calculated where and when and how
rocket trajectories and to launch it."
earth orbits for NASA's early In 1961, Johnson did tra-
space missions and was lat- jectory analysis for Alan
er portrayed in the 2016 hit Shepard's Freedom 7 Mis-
film "Hidden Figures," about sion, the first to carry an
pioneering black female American into space. The
aerospace workers, has next year, she manually
died. She was 101. verified the calculations of
Johnson died Monday of a nascent NASA computer,
natural causes at a retire- an IBM 7090, which plotted
ment community in New- John Glenn's orbits around
port News, Virginia, fam- the planet.
ily attorney Donyale Y. H. "Get the girl to check the
Reavis told The Associated numbers," a computer-
Press. skeptical Glenn had insist-
NASA Administrator Jim ed in the days before the
Bridenstine said in a state- launch.
ment that Johnson "helped "Katherine organized her- In this Feb. 26, 2017, file photo Janelle Monae, left, Taraji P. Henson, second right and Octavia
our nation enlarge the fron- self immediately at her Spencer, right, introduce Katherine Johnson, seated, the inspiration for "Hidden Figures," as they
tiers of space even as she desk, growing phone- present the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
made huge strides that also book-thick stacks of data Associated Press
opened doors for women sheets a number at a time, Space Shuttle program be- Springs, West Virginia, near husband died in 1956. She
and people of color." blocking out everything fore retiring in 1986. the Virginia border. The married James A. Johnson
Johnson was one of the except the labyrinth of tra- Johnson and her co-work- small town had no schools in 1959. He died last year.
"computers" who solved jectory equations," Margot ers had been relatively un- for blacks beyond the Johnson is survived by two
equations by hand dur- Lee Shetterly wrote in her sung heroes of America's eighth grade, she told The of her three daughters,
ing NASA's early years and 2016 book "Hidden Figures," Space Race. But in 2015, Richmond Times-Dispatch six grandchildren and 11
those of its precursor orga- on which the film is based. President Barack Obama in 1997. great-grandchildren, said
nization, the National Ad- "It took a day and a half of awarded Johnson — then Each September, her fa- Reavis, the family attorney.
visory Committee for Aero- watching the tiny digits pile 97 — the Presidential Med- ther drove Johnson and her Johnson spent her later
nautics. up: eye-numbing, disorient- al of Freedom, the nation's siblings to Institute, West Vir- years encouraging stu-
Johnson and other black ing work," Shetterly wrote. highest civilian honor. ginia, for high school and dents to enter the fields of
women initially worked in a Shetterly told the AP that The "Hidden Figures" book college on the campus of science, technology, engi-
racially segregated com- Johnson was "exceptional and film followed, telling the historically black West neering and mathematics.
puting unit in Hampton, Vir- in every way." the stories of Johnson, Dor- Virginia State College. "Just last week, she was giv-
ginia, that wasn't officially "The wonderful gift that othy Vaughan and Mary Johnson taught at black ing an interview to a high
dissolved until NACA be- Katherine Johnson gave Jackson, among others. public schools before be- schooler who wanted to
came NASA in 1958. Signs us is that her story shined Johnson was portrayed in coming one of three black talk to her in French," Rea-
had dictated which bath- a light on the stories of so the film by actress Taraji P. students to integrate West vis said. "She had two de-
rooms the women could many other people," Shet- Henson. The film was nomi- Virginia's graduate schools grees. One in French, and
use. terly said Monday. "She nated for a Best Picture Os- in 1939. one in Mathematics."
Johnson focused on air- gave us a new way to look car and grossed more than She left after the first session Looking back, Johnson said
planes and other research at black history, women's $200 million worldwide. to start a family with her first she had little time to worry
at first. But her work at history and American histo- In 2017, Johnson was husband, James Goble, about being treated un-
NASA's Langley Research ry." Johnson considered her brought on stage at the and returned to teaching equally.
Center eventually shifted work on the Apollo moon Academy Awards ceremo- when her three daughters "My dad taught us 'you are
to Project Mercury, the na- missions to be her greatest ny to thunderous applause. grew older. In 1953, she as good as anybody in this
tion's first human space contribution to space ex- Jackson and Vaughan had started working at the all- town, but you're no better,'"
program. ploration. Her calculations died in 2005 and 2008 re- black West Area Comput- Johnson told NASA in 2008.
"Our office computed all helped the lunar lander spectively. ing unit at what was then "I don't have a feeling of in-
the (rocket) trajectories," rendezvous with the orbit- Johnson was born Kath- called Langley Memorial feriority. Never had. I'm as
Johnson told The Virginian- ing command service mod- erine Coleman on August Aeronautical Laboratory good as anybody, but no
Pilot newspaper in 2012. ule. She also worked on the 26, 1918, in White Sulphur in Hampton. Johnson's first better."q