*NASA is honoring Hidden Figures heroine Katherine G. Johnson with her very own research building.
Hidden Figures tells the true story of the female African-American mathematicians who made vital contributions to the US space program in the 60’s.
The Nerdist reports that on September 22, NASA’s 37,000-square-foot, 23 million-dollar, state-of-the-art research facility in Hampton, Virginia was officially christened the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility.
“We’re here to honor the legacy of one of the most admired and inspirational people ever associated with NASA,” said Langley Director David Bowles in a press release. “I can’t imagine a better tribute to Mrs. Johnson’s character and accomplishments than this building that will bear her name.”
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Too Crazy NOT to Share: Pilot Forced to Change Flight Course After Woman Learns Her Husband is Cheating
The “building sets the stage for our continuing digital transformation in an exciting new era of sophisticated modeling and simulation,” Bowles said during the ribbon cutting. “We know that these are the tools that will help us shape the world of the future, just as Langley’s wind tunnels have helped shape nearly every aircraft that’s in the skies flying today.”
“Thanks to this new building’s robust, carefully designed infrastructure, we’ll do more calculations than ever, and we’ll do them faster, more efficiently and with more reliability,” he added.
During the ribbon cutting, special guests included Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe; Hampton, Virginia, Mayor Donnie Tuck; Virginia Sen. Mark Warner; and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Dan Tenney — along with Katherine Johnson herself, who is now 99 years old, and her biographer, Margot Shetterly, per space.com.
“You want my honest answer?” Johnson said about her reaction to having the building named for her. “I think they’re crazy.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
