NASA research mathematician Katherine Johnson is photographed at her desk at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Born on Aug. 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Johnson worked at Langley from 1953 until her retirement in 1986. During her years at NASA, Johnson made many critical technical contributions to NASA spaceflight missions, including calculating the trajectory of astronaut Alan Shepard's historic 1961 flight, when Shepard became the first American to reach space. Credits: NASA
Katherine Johnson, a WV native and “Hidden Figure”, was the first black female grad student at WVU in 1939 and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. She calculated spacecraft trajectories for NASA in the 1960’s, helping to get the first astronauts into, and back from, space. She is an inspiration for people from underrepresented groups in STEM.
Kathleen Benison, Professor of Geology at WVU writes:
I am inspired by Katherine Johnson’s career. I share two things with her: WVU and NASA. In the early 1960’s, after graduate study in math at WVU, Johnson calculated spacecraft trajectories for the earliest missions, including Apollo. Sixty years later, I am a WVU Geology @WVUGeology professor and Mars 2020 mission scientist, helping to select samples for the Mars Sample Return mission. As an exceptional mathematician and black West Virginian, Johnson helped to pave the way for many in STEM. This Katherine Johnson Barbie was gifted to me by Jennifer Hertzberg @PaleoForams @JSRO_IODP at Texas A & M. We realized that she belonged on display at WVU.
WVSU Katherine Johnson Statue and Scholarship Dedication Ceremony West Virginia State University 3:14
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