Creola Katherine Johnson
Personal Information
Born: 1918
Died: 2020
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
West Virginia State University BS Mathematics & French 1937; West Virginia University-1 semester
Professional Life
Field of Study: Mathematics
Institution/Corporation: NASA
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degree: College of William & Mary (2018), SUNY Farmingham (1998), Capitol College, Laurel, MD (2006), Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA (2010),West Virginia University (2016), Spelman College (2017), University of Johannesburg (2019); Member: Alpha Kappa Alpha
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2019, Congressional Gold Medal; 2015, Presidential Medal of Freedom; 2016, Silver Snoopy Award; 2016, NASA Group Achievement Award; 2021, National Women s Hall of Fame; 1999, West Virginia College Outstanding Alumnus of the Year; 2 NASA facilities are named after her & several schools; 2016, BBCs list of 100 Women of Influence Worldwide; 2019, Government Executive s Government Hall of Fame; Nov. 6,2020, satellite NuSat or Katherine was launched into space; February 2021 Northrop Grumman named it s cygnus NG-15 spacecraft that supplied the ISS the SS Katherine Johnson;1971,1980,1984,1985,1986, NASA Langley Research Center Special Achievement Award; 1977, NASA Group Achievement Award; 2014, De Pizan Honor, National Women s History Museum; 2015, NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award; 2016, Astronomical Society of the Pacific s Arthur B.C. Walker II Award; 2017, DAR Medal of Honor
Achievements: provided some of the math notes for the 1958 Notes on Space Technology; in 1960, with Ted Skopinski, wrote Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position the first time a woman s name was on a Flight Research Division report
One of NASA's Hidden Figures
She figured out the orbits for space missions
1st student to integrate West Virginia University
Had an IQ of approximately 162
Graduated high school at age 14
She figured out the launch window for Apollo 11
Worked for the space program for 33 years
Graduated college at age 18
Used to play bridge during her lunch breaks at NASA
1st female in her division at NASA to have her name listed as an author of a report
John Glenn reportedly refused to fly his mission until she verified the computers calculations
Sang in the choir of her church
Lived to be 101