Katherine Coleman Johnson loved to count. Whether it was the number of steps she walked to school or the cutlery she washed, she counted everything.
Johnson was an African American mathematician employed by NASA. She helped launch the first American into space with her calculations of orbital mechanics. Her work was crucial to the success of U.S. spaceflights.
Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Johnson was a gifted child who loved numbers. She quickly completed the eighth grade by the time she was ten years old. Because classes for African Americans weren't available beyond that point, the family moved 120 miles away, where they stayed until Johnson finished high school.
Enrolling at West Virginia State College, Johnson prepared to become a mathematician. There, she learned from Dr. William W. Schieffelin Claytor, a dedicated professor, and the third African American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics. By the age of 18, Johnson graduated summa cum laude with degrees in mathematics and French.
In 1953, Johnson accepted a job as a "computer" at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Computers manually performed and checked mathematical calculations. After two weeks, she moved to Langley's flight research division. Because of her accuracy with calculations, the task of plotting the path for Alan Shepard's 1961 trip to space fell to Johnson. Later, when NASA began using electronic computers, they called Johnson to verify the machines' work before John Glenn received the go-ahead to orbit the Earth in 1962.
Johnson broke racial and gender barriers through her work as a mathematician. She continued to be a valuable asset for NASA and helped develop its Space Shuttle program until retiring in 1986. Johnson was awarded America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2015, at age 97.
For more information:
Children’s books:
One Step Further: My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Lifelong Mission, by Katherine Johnson
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, by Helaine Becker
Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson NASA Mathematician, by Lesa Cline-Ransome