Katherine Johnson

What she did

Calculated and checked flight trajectories at NASA for missions including early US crewed flights and Apollo.

Impact and significance

Her mathematical work supported decisions about launching, orbiting and returning spacecraft. Those specific calculations explain her contribution more clearly than describing her only as overlooked.

This is Matria’s interpretation, not a quotation or personalised advice.

Works recorded in the archive

• Trajectory analysis for the first US crewed flights (Freedom 7, Friendship 7)
• Calculations supporting Apollo 11
• NASA technical reports on orbital mechanics

Sources and access

• Katherine Johnson, NASA biography
• Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures. William Morrow, 2016.Bibliographic reference. Consult the named edition through a library or publisher.
• NASA biography of Katherine Johnson.Bibliographic reference. Consult the named edition through a library or publisher.

This label concerns the sources on this record. It does not validate every argument an author makes or establish what is true for a reader. Bibliographic coverage does not mean every passage or quotation has been verified. Specialist review remains pending.