Katherine Johnson, a former aerospace technologist, passed away at the age of 101. Johnson's death bought out the best in people again, as seen by photographs from her loved ones who knew her quality, including the Internet in general.
During her lifetime, Johnson, whom you have heard from the movie Hidden Figures, or her being bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, was able to break down racial barriers simultaneously and helped launch astronauts into orbit, as well as encourage people to think effectively and unconventionally.
"Johnson will forever be honored" - Hidden Figures lead star
Taraji Penda Henson, who played Johnson in Hidden Figures, published a new photo of the icon she portrayed and helped memorialize the astronaut to her Instagram account.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson) on Feb 24, 2020 at 8:34am PST
Johnson spent 33 years researching the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (formerly National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) Langley laboratory. The tribute video NASA Langley Research Center posted to its YouTube channel gives a rundown of a number of her most significant achievements. While it's sentimental, even a basic recap of what Johnson accomplished against all the odds is inspiring.
"The universe needs to remember Johnson" - Hidden Figures director
Theodore Melfi, who serves as the director of Hidden Figures, posted a photograph of himself with Johnson and others to Twitter, along with an anecdote giving insight into Johnson's character. Melfi said that after he first met her, Johnson asked him why he'd need to make a film about her, to which he replied, "'Because the world needs to know about you.'" Melfi said the universe should acknowledge that there had been so many people that worked as hard as Johnson.
“Well, I don’t want it to be all about me, there were so many woman that worked as hard as I did. They all deserve to be known.”....... pic.twitter.com/Wd4C3x4EZG — Theodore Melfi (@theodoremelfi) February 24, 2020
"May Johnson's story inspires people 'computationally incalculable" - fellow astrophysicist
In 2018, famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson dedicated a complete episode of his StarTalk podcast to interviewing Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of the nonfiction book, Hidden Figures. His tweet honoring Johnson's passing said, "'Hidden Figures'" tells people that computers and calculators were intelligent girls who knew math. Katherine Johnson led the early US Space Program, where there's orbital mechanics. Mr. Tyson added may the number of those inspired by her story limitless.
NASA shared a short biography of Johnson of how she was able to be selected among a few black students in graduate schools and doctorate studies. However, what is possibly the most exceptional highlight from her profession is, in reality, well worth noting.
NASA recalls that Glenn asked Johnson to run the same numbers through the identical equations that had been programmed using her computer mechanical calculating machine as a part of the preflight checklist.
NASA added Glenn's flight was a success. That 'victory' marked a turning point in the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.
And finally, a single tweet from a Twitter user: Bletchley punk. While Bletchley is not related to Johnson, her sentiment that "Katherine Johnson was a [hardcore] mathematician to the very end" is not impossible for everyone to deny.
