Katherine Johnson, an American mathematician, played a crucial role in NASA’s space missions

Katherine Johnson, an American mathematician, played a crucial role in NASA’s space missions. She excelled at orbital mechanics calculations and pioneered the use of computers. During her 33-year tenure at NASA, Johnson calculated trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return courses for the Project Mercury, Apollo Lunar Module, and Mars missions. She was dubbed a “human computer” due to her mathematical ability and innovative approach to space trajectories.