{"id":262258,"date":"2018-12-20T19:51:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T23:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-437879"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:14:58","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:14:58","slug":"katherine-johnson-honored-by-group-at-wright-brothers-anniversary-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/katherine-johnson-honored-by-group-at-wright-brothers-anniversary-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Katherine Johnson Honored by Group at Wright Brothers Anniversary Event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"hds-media-import-wrapper hds-import-youtube-iframe-wrapper\"><figcaption>Katherine Johnson, a NASA icon and \u201chuman computer\u201d featured in the Academy Award-nominated film, \u201cHidden Figures,\u201d was honored by the First Flight Society during its 115th Anniversary of Powered Flight. The ceremony took place December 17, 2018 and featured remarks from NASA Langley director David Bowles and a NASA flyover. <strong>Credits: NASA\/Gary Banziger<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Decades may separate the Wright Brothers and Katherine Johnson, but their contributions to aviation are forever linked. A group dedicated to the achievements of Orville and Wilber Wright recently recognized Johnson and placed her in its hall of fame.<\/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\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Katherine Johnson\u2019s daughter, Katherine Moore, and grandson, Michael Moore, were on hand to participate in the event.\" 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\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?resize=2000,1500 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The First Flight Society of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, celebrated the legacy of Johnson, a retired mathematician and human computer from NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. She was inducted into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Society Shrine Dec. 17 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The event also marked the 115th anniversary of powered flight from the Wright Brothers.<\/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\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Descendants of the Wright Brothers' family stand next to a marker adorned with wreaths honoring the Wright Brothers.\" 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\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45459177935_a03f1a50b0_o.jpg?resize=2000,1500 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The First Flight Society is the oldest organization honoring the Wright Brothers, in partnership with the National Park Service.<\/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\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1537\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"NASA Langley pilot Rick Lasky talks to a boy about the Cirrus SR-22 plane Monday after the ceremony.\" 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\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=1536,1153 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=2048,1537 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/45648830844_beaf511389_o.jpg?resize=2000,1501 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cToday is a celebration of the power that mathematics has had in improving our lives,\u201d Paul Wright Jameson, great-grandnephew of Wilber Wright, on their contributions. \u201cThey used math to take us to the next stage,\u201d he said, referring to both the Wright Brothers and Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson\u2019s daughter, Katherine Moore, and grandson, Michael Moore, were on hand to participate in the unveiling of her First Flight Shrine portrait painted by artist Gregory Kavalec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKatherine Johnson, a human computer and once-called \u2018hidden figure,\u2019 provided a key part of the deep thinking and relentless effort that NASA needed to begin our reach toward the stars,\u201d said Langley Director David Bowles. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled that the First Flight Society has decided to honor her in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wrights Brothers\u2019 achievements helped make spaceflight possible as their efforts on the sandy dunes of Kitty Hawk birthed a century of progress for humans, said Tom Crouch, senior curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum\u2019s Aeronautics Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe age when humans began to turn a corner began right here 115 years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crouch said the Wright Brothers, despite being high school dropouts, were in fact intuitive engineers and mathematicians of genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey would be especially pleased that mathematician Katherine Johnson is being honored on First Flight Day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After doing her part in NASA\u2019s groundbreaking space missions, Johnson contributed to aspects of the space shuttle and the Earth resources satellite program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Early in her career at Langley, Johnson did aeronautics work, calculating data for studies of wake-vortex accidents and aircraft flight tests. By the late 1970s, she was doing aeronautics work again \u2014 providing math and computer programming support for research related to design of aircraft control systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe mathematics mastered by Katherine Johnson was on a whole new level,\u201d Jameson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through her skill, courage, and personal integrity, Johnson set a standard we all should emulate, Bowles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt Langley, we are proud that Katherine\u2019s story has traveled so far and been embraced by so many,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd inside our gates, we\u2019re always glad to highlight her contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson joins fellow Langley alumnus Richard T. Whitcomb, who conceived and developed three revolutionary aerodynamic concepts that forever changed airplane design by enabling military and civil aircraft to fly faster, farther, and with less fuel, in the First Flight Society\u2019s shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the conclusion of the program, three planes from Langley\u2019s Research Services Directorate participated in a flyover near the ceremony \u2013 the Cirrus SR-22, the Cessna Columbia 300 and the HU-25 Guardian. NASA uses these aircraft to support a variety of important missions, from global data collection in support of different Earth Science missions, to serving as technology testbeds to advance the future of human flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The SR-22 is an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology testbed that can be flown remotely from the ground. It is testing technologies to help safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. The airplane parked at nearby First Flight Field and was made available to view from ceremony attendees, where chief pilot Rick Yasky and electronics\/integration engineer Kevin Shelton answered questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>To view a photo gallery of the event, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasa_langley\/albums\/72157704776438854\" rel=\"noopener\">click here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Eric Gillard<br>\nNASA Langley Research Center<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Katherine Johnson, a NASA icon and \u201chuman computer\u201d featured in the Academy Award-nominated film, \u201cHidden Figures,\u201d was honored by the First Flight Society during its 115th Anniversary of Powered Flight. The ceremony took place December 17, 2018 and featured remarks from NASA Langley director David Bowles and a NASA flyover. Credits: NASA\/Gary Banziger Decades may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":268660,"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":[1],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Katherine Johnson Honored by Group at Wright Brothers Anniversary Event","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/katherine-johnson-honored-by-group-at-wright-brothers-anniversary-event\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/katherine-johnson-honored-by-group-at-wright-brothers-anniversary-event\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg"},"articleSection":"General","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["General"],"dateCreated":"2018-12-20T23:51:00Z","datePublished":"2018-12-20T23:51:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:14:58Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Katherine Johnson Honored by Group at Wright Brothers Anniversary Event\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/katherine-johnson-honored-by-group-at-wright-brothers-anniversary-event\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2018-12-20T23:51:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"General\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"General\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"5 years","featured_image":{"id":268660,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/46371758571_f14d3657e2_o.jpg","title":"46371758571_f14d3657e2_o","alt":"Katherine Johnson\u2019s daughter, Katherine Moore, and grandson, Michael Moore, were on hand to participate in the event.","caption":"First Flight Society honors Katherine Johnson at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, N.C. during the 115th Anniversary of Powered Flight ceremony. NASA Director of Langley Research Center, David Bowles was the keynote speaker. In attendance were members of Mrs. Johnson family as well as descendants of the witness of the powered flight. Also, on hand was a NASA flying test laboratory a Cirrus SR22; piloted by Rick Yasky."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262258"}],"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\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":362773,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262258\/revisions\/362773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262258"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=262258"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=262258"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=262258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}