NASA Mathemetician, Katherine Johnson Dies at 101

NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations helped get the first Americans to space and back safely, died today at the age of 101.
She was the inspiration for the movie Hidden Figures and calculated the flight paths for NASA’s early missions.
“Ms. Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of color,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “Her dedication and skill as a mathematician helped put humans on the Moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space that we now follow on a journey to Mars.”