Numbers for the Sky
Before NASA was formed, a group called NACA studied flight at the Langley laboratory in Virginia. Dorothy Vaughan led a group of Black women mathematicians there. The women were sometimes called human computers because they solved difficult equations by hand. When electronic computers arrived, Vaughan taught herself computer programming and taught other workers how to use the new machines.
Katherine Johnson joined the Langley team in 1953. She used mathematics to calculate the paths of aircraft and spacecraft. Her calculations helped with Alan Shepard's 1961 spaceflight and John Glenn's 1962 orbit around Earth. Before Glenn's flight, an electronic computer calculated numbers for his path. Glenn asked Johnson to check the numbers by hand. Her calculations matched, so he trusted the flight plan.
Vaughan and Johnson worked when Black women often faced unfair barriers in schools and jobs. They kept building their skills and taking on important work. Vaughan helped workers prepare for electronic computing, and Johnson helped mission planners check spaceflight paths. Their contributions helped NASA plan missions and showed the value of Black women in mathematics and science.