African American history maker in technology — Katherine Johnson

Nashville, Tenn. (February 3, 2026) - This Black History Month, Connected Nation (CN) celebrates the legacy and impact of African American innovators who have shaped the technology landscape.

Katherine Johnson, also known as the “Human Computer,” is a name you might recognize from the hit movie “Hidden Figures.” She was a pioneering mathematician whose work at NASA was critical to the success of the U.S. space program in the mid-1900s. She was one of the few women of color during that time who was allowed to use NASA’s computers. She used this opportunity to show not just her colleagues, but the entire aerospace field just what she was capable of.

Before she took the spaceflight industry by storm, Johnson was just a little girl born and raised in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. A bit out of the ordinary, she was extremely gifted in math. She skipped a few grades, which led her to attend high school at age 13.

In 1937, Johnson graduated from the historically Black college, West Virginia State College, with her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and French. Two years later, she was one of three African American students (and the only female) to be selected to attend graduate school at West Virginia University.

After her time in college, Johnson settled down, got married, and started a family. She then became a schoolteacher. But after a couple of years, she wanted to use her math skills for something more impactful. In 1953, she started working at the all-Black West Area Computing Section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ (NACA) Langley Laboratory.

Johnson spent the majority of her career working at NACA (later renamed NASA) until 1986. There, she was critical to the success of the U.S. space program.

Some of her greatest accomplishments at NASA included:

• Calculated the trajectory for the first American in space (1961)
  • Johnson computed the flight path for Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 mission, helping ensure a safe launch and landing.
• Verified John Glenn’s orbital flight calculations (1962)
  • When NASA first used electronic computers for Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission, he specifically asked Johnson to manually verify the numbers before flying. This was a vote of confidence that helped make the mission a success.
• Played a key role in the Apollo 11 Moon landing (1969)
  • Johnson calculated the spacecraft’s trajectory, launch windows, and emergency return paths, which were vital to landing astronauts on the moon and bringing them safely home.
• Contributed to Apollo 13’s safe return (1970)
  • Her work on backup navigation and return trajectories helped engineers plot a safe path after the mission suffered a life-threatening onboard explosion.
• Authored or co-authored 26 scientific papers
  • At a time when women (especially Black women) were rarely credited, Johnson was listed as an author on numerous technical reports that advanced aerospace engineering.

One of her most important achievements was breaking racial and gender barriers at NASA. She was not only among the first Black women to work as a NASA scientist, she also attended high-level briefings and challenged segregation policies by simply refusing to accept them.

Beyond her groundbreaking work in the U.S. space program, Johnson earned numerous honors throughout her life. Among them was the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to her in 2015 by President Barack Obama in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to space exploration and scientific advancement.

Johnson's impact still resonates to this day. She broke many barriers and protested loudly, so much so that NASA had to make a change and integrate more female employees and employees of color. Her journey proves that talent and tenacity can drive meaningful and institutional change.

Other awards and accomplishments:

• Congressional Gold Medal (2019)
• NASA Group Achievement Award (1967)
• Langley Research Center Special Recognition Award (1970)
• Silver Snoopy Award (1971)
• NASA’s Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility Named in Her Honor (2017)

Related Black History Month articles:

1. African American history maker in technology — Ime Archibong
2. African American history maker in technology — Angel Rich
3. African American history maker in technology — Janet Emerson Bashen
4. African American history maker in technology — Lisa Gelobter

About the Author: Lily McCoy is the Connected Nation Senior Communications Specialist. Lily provides support to the Communications Department through social media outreach and writing. She also adds a source of creativity to the team with a background in personal relations and marketing. Lily has a bachelor’s degree in corporate and organizational communications from Western Kentucky University.