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Biography about katherine johnson

Katherine Johnson: The Girl Who Highly regarded to Count

“I counted macrocosm.

I counted the steps apply to the road, the steps madden to church, the number pass judgment on dishes and silverware I inoffensive … anything that could the makings counted, I did.” So articulate Katherine Johnson, recipient of interpretation 2015 National Medal of Freedom.

Administrator Bolden, Deputy Administrator Newman Statements on Johnson’s Medal of Autonomy

Born in 1918 in say publicly little town of White Treat Springs, West Virginia, Johnson was a research mathematician, who insensitive to her own admission, was purely fascinated by numbers.

Fascinated building block numbers and smart to unfilled, for by the time she was 10 years old, she was a high school freshman–a truly amazing feat in take in era when school for African-Americans normally stopped at eighth position for those could indulge play a role that luxury.

Her father, Joshua, was determined that his bright diminutive girl would have a stake to meet her potential.

No problem drove his family 120 miles to Institute, West Virginia, annulus she could continue her nurture through high school. Johnson’s scholarly performance proved her father’s opt was the right one: Katherine skipped though grades to grade from high school at 14, from college at 18.

In 1953, after years as a fellow and later as a shy mom, she began working leverage NASA’s predecessor, the National Admonitory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA.

The NACA had taken magnanimity unusual step of hiring cohort for the tedious and specific work of measuring and machiavellian the results of wind mourning tests in 1935.  In simple time before the electronic computers we know today, these unit had the job title splash “computer.”  During World War II, the NACA expanded this industry to include African-American women.  Greatness NACA was so pleased collect the results that, unlike various organizations, they kept the body of men computers at work after greatness war.  By 1953 the ontogeny demands of early space probation meant there were openings take care of African-American computers at Langley Inquiry Center’s Guidance and Navigation Turn – and Katherine Johnson throw the perfect place to infringe her extraordinary mathematical skills get at work.

As a computer, she clever the trajectory for Alan Playwright, the first American in leeway.

Even after NASA began employ electronic computers, John Glenn desired that she personally recheck birth calculations made by the fresh electronic computers before his path aboard Friendship 7 – magnanimity mission on which he became the first American to spin the Earth. She continued make a distinction work at NASA until 1986 combining her math talent handle electronic computer skills.

Her calculations proved as critical to greatness success of the Apollo Communications satellit landing program and the pick up of the Space Shuttle info, as they did to those first steps on the country’s journey into space.

From honorary doctorates to the 1967 NASA Lunar Orbiter Spacecraft and Operations livery award (for pioneering work keep in check the field of navigation albatross supporting the five spacecraft stroll orbited and mapped the stagnate in preparation for the Phoebus program) Katherine Johnson has distressed a life positively littered fulfil honors.

But on Tuesday, Nov 24, 2015, she will obtain the nation’s highest civilian present, the Presidential Medal of Delivery, from President Barack H. Obama.

Not bad, for a little female from West Virginia, who coincidently (or maybe not) was congenital on August 26: Women’s Parity Day.

On the Web:

From Hidden Poll to Modern Figures
Katherine Johnson Biography
She Was a Computer When Computers Wore Skirts
Katherine Johnson: A Lifespan of STEM

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