Early NASA "Computer" Katherine Johnson

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Published 2022-02-10

Katherine Johnson, an early "computer" for NASA, said of her trajectory analysis for Shepard's 1961 flight: "The early trajectory was a parabola, and it was easy to predict where it would be at any point. Early on, when they said they wanted the capsule to come down at a certain place, they were trying to compute when it should start. I said, ‘Let me do it. You tell me when you want it and where you want it to land, and I’ll do it backwards and tell you when to take off."

Hit spacebar to see draft of Euler's method of solving definite integral y values, which Johnson and her team of African American women "computers" used in the 1969 Apollo Mission, as depicted in "Hidden Figures." Corrections or suggestions welcome.

Sound clip from the 1961 Mercury Project flight. Narration by by NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan (public domain).