NASA Honors 'Hidden Figures' Hero
NASA Honors 'Hidden Figures' Hero"
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
Katherine G. Johnson, the inspiration for the hit film 'Hidden Figures,' in front of the newly opened NASA building in Hampton, Va., that bears her name. David C. Bowman/NASA Facebook
Twitter LinkedIn
There's no hiding Katherine Johnson — or her remarkable contributions to the space program — any longer.
Last week, NASA named a new research center in honor of Johnson, who worked as a mathematician in the nascent days of the U.S. space program and whose precise pre-computer calculations were
a key to the first successful orbital missions. The story of Johnson and her coworkers' little-known efforts on behalf of NASA and the space program inspired the 2016 film Hidden Figures,
which earned three Oscar nominations and brought long overdue attention to their pioneering work.
The 99-year-old was on hand to cut the ribbon and officially open the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. According to the agency,
the $23 million, 37,000 square-foot facility consolidates five data centers and 30 server rooms at Langley, where Johnson worked from 1953 until her retirement in 1986 and earned the
nickname "the human computer."
It was a well-deserved moniker: In 1962, astronaut John Glenn, wary of then-new computer technology, famously requested that Johnson personally double-check computer calculations before his
successful Friendship 7 mission, when he became the first American to orbit Earth.
Johnson, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — a civilian's highest honor — by President Barack Obama in 2015, took the latest tribute with characteristic humility.
“You want my honest answer? I think they’re crazy,” Johnson said in a video message that was played before the ceremony. “I was excited at something new, always liked something new, but give
credit to everybody who helped. I didn’t do anything alone but try to go to the root of the question, and succeeded there.”
%{postComment}% Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition
Join AARP to Continue Already a Member? Login
AARP NEWSLETTERS
%{ newsLetterPromoText }%
%{ description }%
Subscribe See All NewslettersPrivacy Hub
Trending News
Of all the things in the world, a rose named after PM ModiQuaid Najmi (IANS) | The News Minute | August 13, 2014 | 01:55 pm ISTThane, (Maharashtra): A new, specially-developed va...
Tesla stock has dropped more than 35% since elon musk first said he'd buy twitterIn this article * TSLA Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating &q...
Photojournalist Pays It Forward After Earning Thousands In Copyright Fees | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News SourcePhotojournalist Pays It Forward After Earning Thousands In Copyright Fees Published December 2, 2015 at 4:55 PM EST Face...
In one of 2016’s best books, a former Lord’s Resistance Army child soldier reveals the reason behind the mayhemStephen Chan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would be...
Oregon Occupation Reignites Debate Over Federal Land Management | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News SourceUnited States & World Oregon Occupation Reignites Debate Over Federal Land Management By Kirk Siegler, Kirk Siegler Publ...
Latests News
NASA Honors 'Hidden Figures' HeroKatherine G. Johnson, the inspiration for the hit film 'Hidden Figures,' in front of the newly opened NASA building in H...
Nick Hakim: Tiny Desk Concert | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News SourceNick Hakim: Tiny Desk Concert By Bob Boilen Published February 14, 2018 at 5:00 AM EST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email T...
‘Kurukshetra’ producers miffed with ‘Saaho’ wide release, seek cap on ticket pricesThe Kannada movie Kurukshetra released to packed houses on August 9 and is well into its fourth week. However, a big blo...
Saurashtra milk producers protest against National Dairy Development Board'You see Pushpa, Chhaava...': Karan Johar feels this is the biggest issue in Bollywood, it's not nepotism, remakes, but....
De-allocation of coal block: Chhattisgarh mulls legal actionChhattisgarh on Sunday called de-allocation of its coal block as "unfair" and said it will take up the matter with Union...