Katherine Johnson grew up loving to count. She would count anything! Through her love of numbers and her curiosity, she longed to know more about maths and the universe. At her segregated elementary school, Katherine skipped a few grade levels because of her intelligence. Katherine and her family had to move over 80 miles away because her town didn’t have a high school for black students.

Katherine wanted to become a research mathematician, but there were many barriers for her to overcome, particularly because she was black and a woman. In the 1950s, NACA (became NASA in 1958) began hiring female mathematicians. She was excited to apply, but was initially told all the positions had been filled. She waited patiently for another year before successfully applying again.

In her role as a human computer, she calculated the flight path for the first Apollo mission to the moon. Katherine was also part of the Apollo 13 team. The lead astronaut, John Glenn, wanted Katherine to re-check all the electric computer calculations. After an explosion on Apollo 13, she recalculated a safe flight path for the astronauts to return home.

Katherine Johnson was a trailblazing African American woman who contributed hugely to history, particularly in the areas of STEM.