![]() ![]() Because the mission was such a complicated ordeal, the Friendship 7 mission put computers to work. John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission, which would become the turning point of the Space Race, shows the true impact of Johnson’s calculations. This made her the first woman to be credited with a research report in the Flight Research Division. Later, she was also credited on a report about the equations specifying the landing position of a spacecraft. Before her most famous accomplishment, Johnson had done trajectory analysis for the May 1961 mission, Freedom 7, America’s first human spaceflight. She was a part of the Space Task Group since she had worked with many of the engineers within it. Her and her team work was greatly needed when the Soviet satellite, Sputnik was launched in 1957. At the Maneuver Loads Branch of the Flight Research Division of NASA, Johnson analyzed data from flight tests and investigated plane crashes from wake turbulence. Her dedication and persistence to her career had the propitious effect of aiding America’s growing presence in the Technological Age. Many of Johnson’s achievements in space exploration contribute to our knowledge of our universe today. Little did she know, this was the start of something extraordinary. It was in 1952 that Johnson first heard that NACA, a precursor to NASA, was in search of brilliant minds capable of doing mathematics and calculating paths for space travel. ![]() However, grief did not stop her from reaching towards the stars and fulfilling her destiny. A few years later, she remarried to James A. In 1956, an inoperable brain tumor untimely robbed Johnson of her loving husband. Nonetheless, her ambition further propelled her to inscribe her name in history books. However, her time in the program was short-lived, as she decided to quit after giving birth to her three children: Constance, Joylette and Katherine. Johnson later enrolled in a graduate math program, making her one of the first African Americans to attend graduate school. She quit her first job of teaching when she married her first husband, James Francis Goble. Being at the top of her class, she graduated at the impressive age of eighteen with degrees in both mathematics and French. Schieffelin Claytor (both major influences in the African American community). She eagerly sought after every math course that was available to her and was tutored by professors including Angie Turner King and W.W. The undying support of Johnson’s family served as fuel for the takeoff of Johnson’s mathematical career.Īfter graduating high school, she attended West Virginia University, a historically black college. ![]() Each autumn, Johnson’s father drove 120 miles to the town of Institute, West Virginia, enabling her to continue her education, only returning to White Sulphur Springs during the summer. Because of the climate of discrimination at the time, there were no public high schools for African Americans in her hometown. Her thirst for education only intensified as she grew older, and her family fully supported her passions. Johnson started second grade when she was just four years old and finished eighth grade by the tender age of ten. She even followed her brother to elementary school before she could attend and listened in on his classes. She tried to count everything: the steps on the stairs, the dishes in the sink, and the stars in the sky. Ever since Johnson was young, she was entranced with math. The intelligent child excelled in everything she did and was undoubtedly destined for greatness. Johnson’s ability to shine like a star in a heavily male-dominated field earns her the title of Greatest of All Time.īeing the youngest of four children, Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on August 26, 1918. Not only did she shatter every barrier imposed on her, she also inspired and paved the way for future minorities who aspire to be a part of STEM. Not only was she a prominent woman in the mathematical field, she was also one of the few African Americans successful in that arena at the time. She was a viable asset for the country and an indispensable figure to America’s success in the Space Race. One of these women was Katherine Johnson. Out-grossing high production films such as “Star Trek Beyond,” “X-Men Apocalypse,” and “La La Land,” the movie “Hidden Figures” follows the brilliant minds of three African American women working in NASA. ![]() Early in 2017, a new blockbuster movie hit theaters nationwide. ![]()
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