Katherine Johnson, one of the black women responsible for calculating the trajectories of the Apollo missions to the moon, died at the age of 101.
The centenarian, whose death NASA announced on Monday, was the only living member of the team of nearly three dozen black female mathematicians who were recognized in the 2016 film Hidden Figures, which depicted their dedicated effort to help Americans set foot on the moon in 1969 despite years of mistreatment and segregation because of their race and gender.
Johnson and her colleagues used only a slide rule, pencils, and a desktop calculator to calculate the path needed to get astronauts to the moon and to bring the group back home safely. Their genius went largely unrecognized for many years. The historic missions took place during the Jim Crow era.
Johnson spent 33 years working for NASA’s Flight Research Division. Although she spent much of her career without recognition, the honors came pouring in after Johnson’s story became public. President Barack Obama granted her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and NASA named its computational research facility at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, after Johnson in 2017.
Johnson maintained that her intelligence allowed her to transcend the racist mindset of the country while she was at NASA. She called NASA “a very professional organization,” adding, “They didn’t have time to be concerned about what color I was.”
Johnson’s brilliance and ability to navigate race often yielded her praise, but she often brushed it off, saying, “I was just doing my job.” Johnson retired from NASA in 1986. The film Hidden Figures won one Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for three others. Actress Taraji P. Henson portrayed Johnson in the movie.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called Johnson an “American hero” whose “pioneering legacy will never be forgotten.” In a statement, Bridenstine said, “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 color in the universal human quest to explore space.”
He later added: “At NASA, we will never forget her courage and leadership and the milestones we could not have reached without her. We will continue building on her legacy and work tirelessly to increase opportunities for everyone who has something to contribute toward the ongoing work of raising the bar of human potential.”
The @NASA family will never forget Katherine Johnson’s courage and the milestones we could not have reached without her. Her story and her grace continue to inspire the world. https://t.co/UPOqo0sLfb pic.twitter.com/xwnRX9oZoi
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) February 24, 2020
