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Katherine Johnson

American mathematician and pioneering NASA scientist known for her work in spaceflight calculations.

Katherine Johnson is one of 1179 people in the A–Z index, listed under K.

Is Katherine Johnson dead or alive?

Who is Katherine Johnson?

Katherine Johnson is best known for Calculating orbital mechanics critical to the success of early U.S. crewed spaceflights at NASA. On Dead or Alive, Katherine Johnson is listed in the Space Exploration Pioneers category, where you can test yourself on similar names. Dead or Alive is a trivia game: you decide whether a famous person is still alive, then see the answer. The status for Katherine Johnson is checked against public sources such as Wikidata and is shown only after you answer.

Facts

Known for: Calculating orbital mechanics critical to the success of early U.S. crewed spaceflights at NASA
Listed under: Space Exploration Pioneers

About Katherine Johnson

During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform tasks previously requiring humans. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist". Johnson's work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard (the first American in space) and John Glenn (the first American in orbit), and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a human mission to Mars. In 2015 President Barack Obama awarded Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2016, she received the Silver Snoopy Award from NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin and a NASA Group Achievement Award. She was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. In 2019, the United States Congress awarded Johnson the Congressional Gold Medal and NASA announced the establishment of the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in her home state of West Virginia.

Text from the Wikipedia article Katherine Johnson, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Sentences about life status are left out so the game is not spoiled.

Frequently asked questions

What is Katherine Johnson known for?

Katherine Johnson is known for Calculating orbital mechanics critical to the success of early U.S. crewed spaceflights at NASA.

Which Dead or Alive categories include Katherine Johnson?

Katherine Johnson appears in Space Exploration Pioneers.

Is Katherine Johnson still alive?

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