Katherine Johnson

The Woman Who Did the Math for Space

Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who worked for NASA. A mathematician is a person who is an expert at math. Katherine was so good that people called her a "human computer."

In 1961, her math helped send Alan Shepard into space. He was the first American in space. In 1962, an astronaut named John Glenn flew all the way around Earth. Before his flight, Glenn asked NASA to "get the girl" to check the numbers by hand. He meant Katherine!

Katherine helped NASA for many years. She even worked on the Apollo mission that landed people on the Moon. She lived to be 101 years old and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Part 1 · Reading Comprehension

Checking the Flight Numbers

Like Katherine, you will check the math for a rocket. John Glenn's capsule circled Earth 3 times. Each trip around Earth takes about 90 minutes.

Part 3 · Think About It