1961 - NASA's Hidden Figure - calculated trajectory launch windows for NASA missions

* Johnson worked as an aerospace mathematician, moving during her career to the Spacecraft Controls Branch. * She calculated the trajectory for the May 5, 1961, space flight of Alan Shepard, the first American in space. * She also calculated the launch window for his 1961 Mercury mission. * She plotted backup navigation charts for astronauts in case of electronic failures. * When NASA used electronic computers for the first time to calculate John Glenn's orbit around Earth, officials called on Johnson to verify the computer's numbers; Glenn had asked for her specifically and had refused to fly unless Johnson verified the calculations.

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Category:
Mathematics

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
none