Moses, Shelia P.,

Who was Katherine Johnson? / Katherine Johnson. by Sheila P. Moses ; illustrated by Dede Putra. - 108 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm. - Who was-- ? Official WhoHQ book. . - Who was-- ? Who HQ NOW. .

Includes bibliographical references (pages 108).

Who was Katherine Johnson? -- A curious childhood -- Welcome to college -- The student becomes the teacher -- Breaking barriers -- Welcome to NASA -- Losing Jimmie -- Making history -- A lasting legacy.

"From a very young age, Katherine Johnson counted everything--the number of dirty dishes she'd washed, the steps she walked to church, and even the number of leaves on the trees. By 1928, she was so intelligent and skilled at math that she was able to skip several grades and start high school at age ten. And while Katherine had to deal with racism, segregation, and prejudice throughout her life, she did not let this hold her back from becoming a mathematician. In 1953, she started working as a 'human computer' at America's space agency, now known as NASA. Katherine calculated complex equations by hand, and these calculations helped astronauts travel safely into space. She was a part of many important missions, including the Apollo 11 mission that put the first person on the moon"--

ISBN: 9780593752173 9780593752166

Subjects--Personal Names:
Johnson, Katherine G.

Subjects--Corporate Names:
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration --Officials and employees.

Subjects--Topical Terms:
Mathematicians.
Women mathematicians.