Katherine Johnson

The late Katherine Johnson is perhaps the greatest mathematician of her time and a NASA legend. Despite racial and gender barriers, Katherine, along with her Human Computer Women colleagues, were a critical part of NASA’s 1960s Space Race. Her unprecedented mathematical calculations of orbital mechanics were a vital part of the successful first and subsequent U.S.-crewed spaceflights. After over 60 years of being an unknown story, the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures, and the subsequent movie about Katherine’s life, also titled "Hidden Figures", finally revealed the trailblazing accomplishments of Katherine and her colleagues.