October 9, 2022

Kymberlyn Calderon

12th Grade

Baldwin Senior High School

Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was an American mathematician known for her contributions to NASA’s early spaceflight research. Johnson was a brilliant force, skipping several grades in school to become one of the first black students at Virginia State College to get into the graduate school program. In 1957, Johnson’s life would change forever. During the Cold War, the Space Race also began. Katherine’s previous work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) landed her a vital role in the Space Race when NACA was incorporated into NASA due to desegregation, enabling her to become one of the first black engineers for NASA in 1953, setting a precedent for countless other women, especially women of color, to follow. 

Johnson worked as an aerospace technologist. In 1961, she did the trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s 1961 mission Freedom 7, the first American human spaceflight. Through this mission, Katherine revolutionized the usage of Euler's Method of math. The method is based on the fact that close to a point a curve can be approximated by the tangent line at that point. Such a revolutionary achievement gave Johnson notable recognition within NASA. The following year, Johnson’s contributions extended to Friendship 7, a mission that attempted to achieve an American orbit around Earth. Astronaut John Glenn had good faith in Johnson due to her success with Freedom 7 and requested for his flight computations to be verified by her. Over half a decade later in 1969, Johnson was yet again part of a revolutionary mission. Katherine was part of the team that calculated where and when to launch the rocket for the Apollo 11 mission; the mission that sent the first three men to the moon.   

The impacts Katherine Johnson had on the scientific and mathematical communities were not known to the general public for decades. That all changed in 2017 with the release of the movie “Hidden Figures.” The movie depicts the brilliance of Katherine (played by Taraji P. Henson) and her two friends Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), leading them to play integral roles within the NASA workforce during the several aforementioned space launches. A specific scene in the movie highlights Johnson’s thought process when considering using Euler's method. Coworkers doubted her, stating that the method was ancient and esoteric, but Johnson, by hand, computed the necessary trajectory for the Apollo space program, and this ended up being the saving factor in the launch. These days, this math is not expected to be done by hand. Hidden Figures serves as an homage to innovators who are discredited due to systemic issues integrated into the STEM work field. Many stories go unheard, so it's important to spread awareness of stories similar to that of Johnson, a hero and a trailblazer in more ways than one. 

Hidden Figures serves as an homage to innovators who are discredited due to systemic issues integrated into the STEM work field. Many stories go unheard, so it's important to spread awareness of stories similar to that of Johnson, a hero and a trailblazer in more ways than one.