NASA's "computer woman" mathematician: Who is Katherine Johnson?

Her full name is Creola Katherine Coleman, she was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. She was born as the youngest of four children to her mother, teacher Joylette Roberta Lowe, and father, logger, farmer, and mechanic Joshua McKinley Coleman.

Showing strong mathematical abilities from an early age, Katherine did not offer public schooling to African-American students past the eighth grade where she lived, so her parents made sure their children attend high school in West Virginia, and Katherine enrolled when she was ten.

After graduating from high school, Katherine attended West Virginia State College (WVSC), a historically black college. Taking every math class offered here, Katherine has been mentored by several professors. In 1937, Katherine graduated with honors in math and French, and began teaching at a black public school in Virginia.

She quit her teaching job in 1939 after marrying her first husband, James Goble. She then enrolled in a master's program in mathematics and chose to focus on her family, leaving in her freshman year. Katherine became the first African-American woman to attend a graduate program at West Virginia University in Morgantown, and the only woman selected to complete graduate school after a 1938 court order.

Deciding to pursue a career as a research mathematician, Katherine's career proved a difficult option for African-Americans and women to enter. Katherine was hired as a mathematician for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the Guidance and Navigation Departments at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.

Working as a computer from 1953 to 1958, Katherine also studied topics such as wind attenuation for airplanes. Originally assigned to the West Area Computers division of female mathematicians, Katherine later returned to the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in her old division of white male engineers. In accordance with the State of Virginia's apartheid laws and federal workplace segregation introduced by President Woodrow Wilson, Katherine and other African-American women in the department were required to work, eat, and use restrooms separately from white people.

Working as an aerospace technologist from 1958 until her retirement in 1986, Katherine moved into the Spacecraft Controls Branch throughout her career. Calculating the trajectory of Alan Shepard's space flight, the first American to go into space, Katherine also calculated the launch window for the 1961 Mercury mission. She also drew up and calculated backup navigation charts for astronauts in case of electronic failure. NASA agency called Katherine to verify calculations of astronaut John Glenn's orbit around Earth. Glenn specifically requested Katherine and refused to fly while Katherine did not verify the calculations.

Later, working directly with digital computers, Katherine helped build confidence in new technology thanks to her talent and reputation for accuracy. In 1969, she contributed to the calculation of the orbit of Apollo 11's flight to the Moon. During the moon landing, Katherine and a few others gathered around a small television screen in the Pocono Mountains to watch the first steps to the Moon. Working on the Apollo 13 Moon mission in 1970, Katherine was also a pioneer in determining a safe route for the crew's return to Earth, thanks to her work on backup procedures and charts when the mission was aborted.

In addition, Katherine has created a one-star observing system that allows astronauts to accurately determine their position. Katherine spent the later years of her life encouraging students to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Personal life

Katherine and her husband, James Francis Goble, have three daughters. Katherine has lived with her family in Newport News, Virginia since 1953. James died of an inoperable brain tumor in 1956. Three years later, Katherine married James A."Jim" Johnson, a military officer and Korean veteran. The couple were married for 60 years until Johnson passed away in March 2019 at the age of 93. The couple had six great-grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, always encouraging their grandchildren to pursue careers in science, technology and mathematics. Most recently, Katherine, who lives in Hampton, Virginia, died at the age of 101 on February 24, 2020, in a nursing home in Newport News.

A member of the Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church for 50 years, Katherine has sung in the choir here. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine described Katherine as "an American hero" after her death. As a co-author of 26 scientific papers, Katherine's social impact as a pioneer in space science and computing is evidenced by her awards and status as a role model for a life in science.

Named West Virginia State College Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 1999, Katherine received the "Presidential Medal of Freedom", one of 17 Americans honored by President Barack Obama on November 24, 2015. she presented. Two NASA facilities were named in Katherine's honor. In 2016, Katherine was included in the BBC's list of 100 influential women worldwide for the format series. On May 12, 2018, Katherine was awarded an honorary doctorate by the College of William & Mary. That same year, a STEM scholarship was established by West Virginia State University in Katherine's honor and a life-size statue of Katherine was erected on campus. Katherine's name was given to different campuses and schools. On November 6, 2020, a satellite named after Katherine was launched into space.

It follows Katherine and fellow African-American mathematicians Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, working at NASA, in the biographical drama "Hidden Figures", based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, which was released in December 2016. On the occasion of her role as Katherine, played by Taraji P. Henson, Katherine appeared alongside Henson at the 89th Academy Awards and received a standing ovation from the audience.