When President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Katherine Johnson in 2015, few people had even heard her name — but today, thanks to the smash success of the book Hidden Figures and its movie adaptation, this groundbreaking mathematician has become an inspiration for girls everywhere!
Adventure on Spook Hill by Children’s Writer Shelia Lirette
Johnson was one of NASA’s “human computers,” a group of female mathematicians who calculated critical equations for rocket design, launch trajectories, and more. During her 35-year career at NASA, during which she was forced to overcome both gender and racial barriers, Johnson’s skills in celestial navigation were renowned.
A Hairy, Scary Adventure on Spook Hill by Children’s Writer Shelia Lirette
She calculated — by hand — the flight trajectories for a number of historic missions, including the Alan Shepard’s space voyage aboard Freedom 7 in 1961 and the Apollo 11 flight to the Moon in 1969. Now, this inspiring woman’s contributions to the history of crewed space flight are finally being celebrated by the nation and the world.