Introduction
An American Mathematician who worked, for 35 years for NASA as a Mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics were plays an important role in the success of U.S. spaceflight. She is identified as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist.
Biography:
Gola Katherine Coleman was born on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S. She is having another name called Katherine Goble. She started high school at the age of 10 In 1937, she earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and French from West Virginia state college,(now it is called as West Virginia State University). Then she moved to Virginia and took a teaching job. In 1939, she was selected to be one of the first three African-American students to enroll in a graduate program at West Virginia University. After studying math there, she decided to Marry James Goble and start a family life. But James Goble died in 1956, then she married James Johnson after three years. In 1953, she started working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics(NACA)’s West Area Computing Unit, She calculated complex mathematical calculations manually for the engineer’s program. Her Computations were essential to the success of the early U.S. space program. During the segregation of NACA, the West Computers are segregate to form National Aeronation and Space Administration (NASA)
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Katherine Johnson was a member of NASA s Space Task Group. In 1960, She did an important job, that is she co-authored a paper with one of the group’s engineers and this work is all about the calculations for placing a Spacecraft into orbit. She received credit for this work Overall, totally Katherine Johnson authored or co-authored 26 research reports during her career.
In NASA, Mercury program(1961-1963), Katherine Johnson plays an important role in crewed space flights Remarkably, in 1961, she calculated the path for freedom 7, freedom 7 is the spacecraft that put the first U.S astronaut Alan B, Shepard, Jr in space. She worked to verify the electronic computer, which had planned the flights correctly. In 1969, Katherine Johnson also calculated the when and where to launch the rocket of the Apollo 11 mission, which sent the first three men to the moon. She retired from NASA in 1986.
Achievements and Recognitions:
Katherine Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on 24th November 2015.
In order to Recognize her work, On May 5, 2016, a new building of 40,000 square feet was named “Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility” in Virginia.
Katherine Johnson also received a silver Snoopy award; this award is usually given to those who have made outstanding contributions to flight safety and mission success.
On the BBC’s list of 100 women of influence worldwide in 2016. In the year 2016, NASA stated that “Her calculations proved as critical to the success of the Apollo Moon Landing program and the start of the space shuttle program, as they did to those first steps on the country’s journey into space”.
On May 12, 2018, She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the College of William and Mary.
In August 2018, west Virginia state University established a STEM Scholarship in honor of her and founded a full-size statue of her on the campus.
In 2019, an announcement was made as one of the members of the inaugural class of government Executives Government Hall of Fram.
Death:
On 24th February 2020, she died in Newport News, Virginia, U.S. She died in her 101st year.
Summary:
She made a lot of contributions with her mathematics skills to NASA. Because of her contribution, NASA made many successes in its space projects. However, she died from this world, her achievements made her name still be remembered for a long while.
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