Commemorating The Figure Of NASA Hidden Figure, Katherine Johnson

NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson (doc. NASA)

JAKARTA - Not many people know this mathematician who works at the NASA space agency. Until finally Hollywood picked up the inspirational story of Katherine Johnson who was credited with bringing American astronauts flying into space.

Unfortunately, the woman who used her mathematical skills to calculate the trajectories of rockets and Earth in NASA's early missions is gone. Katherine Johnson has passed away at the age of 101, on Monday 24 February.

During his lifetime, Johnson was known as a computer man because of his ability to perform complex mathematical analyzes armed with only pen and paper. His calculations and calculations succeeded in realizing NASA's big dream to explore outer space.

"She is an American hero and her pioneering legacy that we will never forget. She is also a very brave woman, we could not live without her," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine as quoted by Science Alert.

"It's people like her ... who paved the way for people like me to become astronauts." One of our @NASA_Astronauts, Jeanette Epps, and others reflect on what Katherine Johnson's legacy mean to them. Watch: https://t.co/HeRN9ZsXaG pic.twitter.com/XUR4EHh0Zz

- NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2020

NASA remembers the dedication and ability of the woman who was born on August 26, 1981 as a super mathematician. Not only once, Johnson was involved in a NASA mission to send humans into space.

Johnson and his colleagues succeeded in calculating the parameters of the suborbital flight carried out by Alan Shepard in 1961, the first American to make it into space.

He also planned the flight path of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Before starting his mission, Glenn himself asked Johnson to double-check all the computations of the computer, a job that took 1.5 days.

After that he used his mathematical skills to calculate the trajectory of the Apollo 11 flight which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in July 1969.

While his contribution to the US space agency is remarkable, Johnson's name is not widely known. Even when he started his career on the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which was NASA's predecessor in 1953.

As a black woman, she had to work in a separate part of the building from white employees due to segregation laws in America. However, Johnson does not really care about these discrimination matters.

"Some things will disappear from public view and will disappear, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. There will always be mathematics," said Bridenstine recalling the departure of Johnson, who retired after a 33 year career at NASA.

For his hard work and contributions to the US space world, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2015. This is the highest honor for civilians in the US.

Two years later, in honor of Johnson's merit, NASA named one of its research facilities Katherine G. Johnson, at the Langley Research Center in Hampton. The story of the woman who earned the nickname 'the most high-profile of the computers' was also immortalized through the film Hidden Figures.

After retiring from NASA, Johnson spent his old age advising on mathematics education, conducting seminars, and visiting schools. He is also active in publishing more than 24 scientific journals related to his expertise. Katherine's autobiography entitled “Reaching for the Moon” was published last year.