Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson showed an extraordinary talent for math from a very young age. Growing up in West Virginia during segregation, her parents made sure she had access to education, even if it meant long travel distances just so she could attend school. She skipped multiple grades and entered college at just 15 years old, studying mathematics and French. After becoming a teacher, she eventually joined NASA, where her skills in analytical geometry quickly stood out.

At NASA, Katherine Johnson calculated flight paths, launch windows, and emergency return routes for early space missions. One of her most famous contributions was verifying the computer-generated calculations for John Glenn’s orbital flight—he specifically asked for her to check them before launch. Despite facing both racial and gender discrimination, she became one of the most trusted experts on the team. Her work helped ensure the success and safety of major missions during the Space Race.

Although her contributions went unrecognized for many years, she later received national honors for her work. Katherine Johnson’s story is a powerful reminder that talent and determination can break barriers, and that math can quite literally help reach the stars.