*Unfortunately, we’ve lost another pioneer and cultural giant. NASA has just released a statement saying that Katherine Johnson, the black female mathematician who worked on NASA’s early space missions has died.
Johnson, of course, was famously portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the film “Hidden Figures,” which was about pioneering black female aerospace workers.
Monday morning, via Twitter, the space agency said it celebrates Johnson’s 101 years of life and her legacy of excellence and breaking down racial and social barriers.
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We’re saddened by the passing of celebrated #HiddenFigures mathematician Katherine Johnson. Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers: https://t.co/Tl3tsHAfYB pic.twitter.com/dGiGmEVvAW
— NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2020
Johnson was one of the so-called “computers” who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits by hand during NASA’s early years.
Until 1958, Johnson and other black women worked in a racially segregated computing unit at what is now called Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Their work was the focus of the Oscar-nominated 2016 film.
In 1961, Johnson worked on the first mission to carry an American into space. In 1962, she verified computer calculations that plotted John Glenn’s earth orbits.
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At age 97, President Obama presented Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
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