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The 'Human Computer' Behind the Moon Landing Was a Black Woman (thedailybeast.com)

Posted by msmash on from the more-power-to-women dept.

Reader bricko writes: The 'Human Computer' Behind the Moon Landing Was a black woman (video). She calculated the trajectory of man's first trip to the moon by hand, and was such an accurate mathematician that John Glenn asked her to double-check NASA's computers. To top it off, she did it all as a black woman in the 1950s and 60s, when women at NASA were not even invited to meetings. And you've probably never heard of her. Meet Katherine Johnson, the African American woman who earned the nickname 'the human computer' at NASA during its space race golden age.

5 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Link? by Sir_Eptishous · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm curious, was there supposed to be a link in the summary?
    A link to an interesting and relevant story about Katherine Johnson...
    Or were we supposed to just Google or Wiki her?

    --
    We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
    1. Re:Link? by MobSwatter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The Senior Statustition on the X-15 with North American Aviation was also a woman, her name was Helen Stratton/Perault and was my grandmother on my mother's side.

  2. Wow. Woman, black, empowered, in STEM field... by sciengin · · Score: 1, Interesting

    and what good did that do to her and women or minorities in general?
    Was the discrimination of that time suddenly removed?

    Dont get me wrong, it is not that I mind women or blacks in STEM, but it seems that many believe that if only there were more of those in STEM, suddenly all their problems would go away.
    I think this story is proof that employment in science or technologies and equal rights do not automatically go hand in hand.

    And if that is true, then the opposite must also be true: just because most engineers and scientists today are white males does not mean that it is because women are oppressed in these fields.

  3. on-board Flight Software by kairis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Margaret Hamilton wrote the on-board flight software.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
    To me, all of them are great scientists, regardless of race.

  4. Re:She wasn't the only one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    There was a pool of women (and men) at NASA who were ALL referred to as "computers"

    Daaaamn. They were doing rocket science under water?! Much props.