{"id":143478,"date":"2019-07-02T17:07:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T21:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-448098"},"modified":"2023-10-12T09:29:56","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T13:29:56","slug":"west-virginia-nasa-facility-renamed-after-agency-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/west-virginia-nasa-facility-renamed-after-agency-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"West Virginia NASA Facility Renamed After Agency Icon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"The side of a brown brick building with windows glistening in the sunlight. The words Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility with the NASA meatball logo and a WV for West Virginia.\" style=\"transform: scale(1.6); transform-origin: 71% 47%; object-position: 71% 47%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg 4032w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=2048,1536 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?resize=2000,1500 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA’s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA \/ Rob Garner<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Eighty years ago she was one of three black students handpicked to integrate West Virginia\u2019s graduate schools, joining the graduate math program at West Virginia University in Morgantown. From there, the White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, native went on to start a family, begin a career with NASA, and help put the first Americans in space and eventually on the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fast-forward to a best-selling book and a blockbuster movie celebrating her accomplishments and that of her \u201chidden figure\u201d colleagues\u2014achievements recognized through our nation\u2019s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which she received in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And now, just 24 miles from where she took her first steps as a graduate student and began blazing a trail of opportunity and inspiration for countless others, NASA has dedicated a facility in honor of the storied NASA icon: the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Representative David McKinley and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine were among the dignitaries attending the renaming and dedication ceremony July 2. Johnson\u2019s daughters, Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore, attended the ceremony on behalf of their mother.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"ribbon-cutting ceremony at IV&V on July 2, 2019\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg 2160w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/gsfc_20190702_2019-19033-2_002-sm.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation Facility, originally founded in 1993 to contribute to the safety and success of NASA\u2019s highest-profile missions, was renamed in honor of human computer and storied NASA icon Katherine Johnson. The redesignation was marked with a ceremony on July 2 at the facility, in Fairmont, West Virginia. The renaming was announced earlier this year and culminated with the ribbon-cutting ceremony. From left to right: IV&V Director Greg Blaney, West Virginia Delegate Rodney Pyles; NASA Astronaut Yvonne Cagle; NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine; Katherine Moore, daughter of Katherine Johnson; U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia; Joylette Hylick, daughter of Katherine Johnson; U.S. Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia; NASA Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance Terry Wilcutt; and Chris Scolese, Center Director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Facility\/Taylor Mickal<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is a momentous day because it\u2019s like coming home,\u201d Katherine Moore said. \u201cTo see her name on the building is very humbling. Our mother would say she didn\u2019t do it for the accolades, but this certainly does add a few stars to her crown. We are very proud to represent her today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The IV&V facility, originally founded in 1993 to contribute to the safety and success of NASA\u2019s highest-profile missions, was renamed in Johnson\u2019s honor as a result of legislation sponsored by Capito and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and signed into law by President Trump in December 2018. The renaming was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-renames-facility-in-honor-of-hidden-figure-katherine-johnson\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> earlier this year and culminated with the ribbon-cutting ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a reception following the ribbon cutting, Capito recounted Johnson\u2019s contributions to the nation\u2019s space program and what she means to West Virginians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is fitting that the only NASA facility in West Virginia be named after a West Virginia native who became a pioneer in space exploration, but this rededication is about so much more than that,\u201d Capito said. \u201cKatherine Johnson\u2019s is not just a name on this building. Her work also made what they do inside the building possible. Today, we celebrate Katherine Johnson, her life, her career, her achievements, and the achievements to come on Earth and in space because of her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With NASA focusing on returning to the Moon by 2024, Bridenstine reflected on how the agency\u2019s human spaceflight program today continues to draw inspiration from Johnson\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKatherine\u2019s life and legacy included key contributions to NASA\u2019s initial foray into human spaceflight where her calculations, such as those helping Project Apollo\u2019s Lunar Lander to synch with the moon-orbiting Command and Service Module, ensured mission safety and success,\u201d said Bridenstine. \u201cThe IV&V Program at the Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility continues to support human spaceflight today, providing critical assurance for the software on NASA\u2019s highest profile missions, including the International Space Station, Space Launch System, and supporting NASA\u2019s return to the Moon with Artemis.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Manchin, in a statement, praised the West Virginia native as a beacon of inspiration for all. \u201cKatherine Johnson represents the best of our state; her hard work and determination brought this country to unprecedented new heights during the Space Race. Decades later, she is receiving recognition for her incredible work through the dedication of the Fairmont IV&V center in her name,\u201d said Manchin. \u201cI look forward to seeing Katherine continue to be recognized for her contributions and I am proud to have helped make this renaming possible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born in 1918, Johnson\u2019s intense curiosity and brilliance with numbers led her to a distinguished career spanning more than three decades with NASA and its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Among her professional accomplishments, Johnson calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/mercury\/missions\/freedom7.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Freedom 7 mission<\/a> in 1961. The following year, Johnson performed the work for which she would become best known, when she was asked to verify the results made by electronic computers to calculate the orbit for John Glenn\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/history.nasa.gov\/friendship7\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Friendship 7 mission<\/a>. She went on to provide calculations for NASA missions throughout her career, including several Apollo missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2017, NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, dedicated the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/langley\/nasa-langley-s-katherine-johnson-computational-research-facility-officially-opens\" rel=\"noopener\">Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility<\/a> in her honor. Johnson celebrated her 100th birthday Aug. 26, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since its inception more than 25 years ago, NASA\u2019s IV&V Program has performed work on approximately 100 missions and projects, and currently is providing services to 12 upcoming NASA missions, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/webb\/main\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">James Webb Space Telescope<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/systems\/orion\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Orion spacecraft <\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/systems\/sls\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Space Launch System<\/a> rocket, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/insight\/main\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">InSight Mars lander<\/a>. IV&V also provides general software safety and mission assurance services, including support for NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/exploration\/commercial\/crew\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Commercial Crew Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Media Contact: <a href=\"mailto:jeremy.l.eggers@nasa.gov?subject=RE%20Katherine%20Johnson%20IV%26V%20Dedication\">Jeremy Eggers<\/a><br>NASA Office of Communications<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eighty years ago she was one of three black students handpicked to integrate West Virginia\u2019s graduate schools, joining the graduate math program at West Virginia University in Morgantown. From there, the White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, native went on to start a family, begin a career with NASA, and help put the first Americans in [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":209843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2857,2859,2863],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[3913,3916],"coauthors":[10314],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"West Virginia NASA Facility Renamed After Agency Icon","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/west-virginia-nasa-facility-renamed-after-agency-icon\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/west-virginia-nasa-facility-renamed-after-agency-icon\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katy Mersmann"}],"creator":["Katy Mersmann"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Centers & Facilities","Langley Research Center","Goddard Space Flight Center","Katherine Johnson IV and V Facility"],"dateCreated":"2019-07-02T21:07:00Z","datePublished":"2019-07-02T21:07:00Z","dateModified":"2023-10-12T13:29:56Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"West Virginia NASA Facility Renamed After Agency Icon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/west-virginia-nasa-facility-renamed-after-agency-icon\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2019-07-02T21:07:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,Langley Research Center,Goddard Space Flight Center,Katherine Johnson IV and V Facility\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Katy Mersmann\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"5 years","featured_image":{"id":209843,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/ivv-bldg2.jpeg","title":"Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility","alt":"The side of a brown brick building with windows glistening in the sunlight. The words Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility with the NASA meatball logo and a WV for West Virginia.","caption":"NASA's Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143478"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":546803,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143478\/revisions\/546803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143478"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=143478"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=143478"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=143478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}