Trailblazer Who Paved the Way
Katherine Johnson
Mathematician, NASA
“I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed.”
Her Story
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician whose orbital mechanics calculations were critical to the success of the first U.S. crewed spaceflights, including John Glenn's orbit of Earth.
How She Got Into Tech
A gifted student who graduated high school at 14, Johnson pursued mathematics against the expectations of her time and joined NASA's predecessor, NACA, as a "human computer."
A Day in Her Work
Johnson worked through complex trajectory equations by hand, often the only verification NASA's engineers trusted before a mission could fly.
Proudest Achievement
Calculating the trajectory for the 1961 Freedom 7 mission and verifying by hand the orbital mechanics for John Glenn's 1962 orbital flight, at his own request, before the mission was cleared.
Biggest Challenge
Working in a segregated research division as a Black woman in 1950s Virginia, where she had to fight for credit and access to the rooms where decisions were made.
Advice for the Next Generation
Like what you do, and then you will do your best.
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