Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician Portrayed in 'Hidden Figures', Passes Away at 101

Katherine Johnson, the black woman who had a key role in sending humans to the moon, died on Monday at the age of 101.

Katherine Johnson, who was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, was a trailblazer. She was known as the mathematical genius who worked on the Mercury and Apollo missions during her three decades with the US space program. 

Her mathematical genius was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the movie 'Hidden Figures.'

Coleman's intelligence and skill with numbers became apparent when she was just a child. She started attending high school at the age of 10 and graduated with the highest honors from West Virginia State College at the age of 18 where she earned her bachelor's degrees in both mathematics and French.

(Photo : NASA/Handout)

She began working at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)'s West Area Computing unit in 1953. The group was comprised of African American women who were tasked with manually performing complex mathematical calculations for the program's engineers.

The women, who were called West Computers, analyzed test data and provided computations that were critical to the success of the early US program.

Before NACA was incorporated into the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Katherine Johnson and the other African American mathematicians had to use separate bathrooms and dining facilities.

Johnson was a member of the Space Task Group at NASA. 

Katherine Johnson's most important job was figuring out how to ensure that John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, would land as close as possible to the recovery team waiting in the Atlantic. 

Johnson, who was made famous by the book and movie Hidden Figures, told NASA in a 2008 interview, "I said, 'Let me do it. You tell me when you want it and where you want it to land, and I'll do it backward and tell you when to take off.' That was my forte."

She is also an author or a co-author of 26 research reports during her career.

Johnson retired from NASA in 1986.

Her work has earned her many awards and honors. 

In 2015, President Obama awarded her the Medal of Freedom. In 2016, NASA honored her by naming one of their buildings the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility. 

Margot Lee Shetterly published a book about the West Computers titled Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. 

The film Hidden Figures, which was based on Margot Lee Shetterly's book, was also released in the same year. Katherine Johnson was played by Taraji P. Henson. 

Johnson attended the 2017 Oscars ceremony where she joined the film's cast and was given a standing ovation.

Katherine Johnson is most proud of her contributions to the first moon mission, which included the calculations that allowed the lunar lander craft and the orbiting command module to sync. 

She and her first husband, James Goble, shared three daughters before his passing in 1956. She married Lieutenant Colonel James Johnson in 1959.

After her passing, NASA remembered her legacy in a Twitter post, saying:

"Tonight, count the stars and remember a trailblazer.

A figure hidden no more, Katherine Johnson helped lead us into a new era in space exploration, and for that, we are forever grateful. Join us in reflecting on her powerful legacy."