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Katherine Johnson, one of NASA’s famed Hidden Figures who helped power NASA’s first successful space missions has died. She was 101.
NASA confirmed Johnson’s passing on Monday.
As a member of NASA’s “Computer Pool,” Johnson was joined by a group of mathematicians whose data helped pave the way for successful space missions. By the time she retired in 1986, she had mapped the moon’s surface ahead of Neil Armstrong’s famous 1969 moon landing and also helped the Apollo 13 crew safely land back on Earth.
In 2017, Johnson’s life was the centerpiece of a film, Hidden Figures where the ladies of the Computer Pool dealt with racism, segregation, and shunning of their work. The film, which was a box office success, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Johnson was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson.
She was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Barack Obama in 2015 for her work in space travel.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called Johnson an “American hero” who helped the nation “enlarge the frontiers of space.”
https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine/status/1231946829962584065
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