{"id":168643,"date":"2018-08-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-430845"},"modified":"2023-07-26T15:11:31","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T19:11:31","slug":"at-langley-admiration-and-gratitude-multiply-on-katherine-johnsons-100th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/langley\/at-langley-admiration-and-gratitude-multiply-on-katherine-johnsons-100th-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"At Langley, Admiration and Gratitude Multiply on Katherine Johnson\u2019s 100th Birthday"},"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 \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>When Jasmine Byrd started her job at NASA about two years ago, she knew nothing about Katherine Johnson, the mathematician and \u201chuman computer\u201d whose achievements helped inspire the book and movie \u201cHidden Figures.\u201d<\/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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>At that point, the release of the film was still months away. But excitement was building \u2014 particularly at Byrd\u2019s new workplace. She\u2019d arrived at NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where Johnson spent her entire, 33-year NACA and NASA career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon, Byrd felt a strong connection to a woman she\u2019d never met, nearly 70 years her senior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was just enthralled with her story,\u201d said Byrd, a project coordinator for NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeroresearch\/programs\/tacp\/cas\">Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project<\/a>. Today, she works inside Langley\u2019s Building 1244, the same hangar-side location where Johnson crunched numbers for the Flight Research Division in the 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am thankful for the bridge that Katherine built for someone like myself to easily walk across,\u201d Byrd said. \u201cIt helps me to not take this opportunity for granted. I know there were people before me who put in a lot of work and went through a lot of turmoil at times to make sure it was easier for people like myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fountain of gratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Katherine G. Johnson\u2019s 100th birthday \u2014 Aug. 26 \u2014 approached, many Langley employees expressed admiration for the woman whose math powered some of America\u2019s first triumphs in human space exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard\u2019s May 1961 mission Freedom 7, America\u2019s first human spaceflight. At a time when digital computers were relatively new and untested, she famously checked the computer\u2019s math for John Glenn\u2019s historic first orbital spaceflight by an American in February of 1962.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those are just two bullet points in a brilliant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/katherine-johnson-biography\">career that stretched from 1953 to 1986.<\/a><\/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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Her 100th birthday was recognized throughout NASA and around the world. But at Langley, the milestone created an extra measure of pride and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graduate research assistant Cecilia Stoner, stopped on her way to Langley\u2019s cafeteria, said she admires how Johnson remained humble \u2014 even when showered with accolades ranging from the Presidential Medal of Freedom to toys made in her likeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stoner\u2019s lunch companion, Erin Krist, chimed in. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible what she managed to do,\u201d said Krist, a summer intern. \u201cShe paved the way for women. We couldn\u2019t work here today if that hadn\u2019t happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Langley\u2019s acting chief technologist, Julie Williams-Byrd, echoed that thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe opened the doors for the rest of us,\u201d Williams-Byrd said. \u201cBetween her and Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson and all the women who were at Langley at the time. It didn\u2019t matter if they were called computers in skirts. They were here to do a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s typical NASA culture, right?\u201d Williams-Byrd said. \u201cWe have a mission. Everybody\u2019s going to jump in and do what they can to make that mission successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She also admires Johnson\u2019s devotion to promoting science, technology, engineering and math studies among young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile she was very focused on the technical work and really did great things there, her balance of life and responsibilities to those who would come up behind her, that really resonates with me,\u201d Williams-Byrd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A modest mentor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remarkably, a handful of current Langley employees worked side by side with Johnson. Among them is research mathematician Daniel Giesy, who started at the center in 1977.<\/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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cOn my first job here, I was teamed with Katherine Johnson,\u201d Giesy said. \u201cShe mentored me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Johnson showed Giesy the ropes as he and Johnson both provided mathematical and computer programming support for researchers working to find new tools for designing aircraft control systems. They eventually coauthored papers including \u201cApplication of Multiobjective Optimization in Aircraft Control Systems Design\u201d from 1979, written with Dan Tabak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would describe her as a good colleague, competent, courteous,\u201d Giesy said. \u201cShe had her moments. If you slopped coffee on the way back from the break room, you bloody well better clean up after yourself. You don\u2019t leave it for the janitor staff to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut she was focused on getting the job done,\u201d Giesy said. \u201cAt that point in time, she wasn\u2019t resting on laurels.\u201d Only later would Giesy learn of her historic contributions to early space missions. \u201cShe did not brag on herself particularly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regina Johns, who today recruits participants for tests related to crew systems, aviation operations and acoustics, arrived at Langley in 1968 as a high school intern. She returned as a contract employee in 1973 and has worked at Langley ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In those early days, she remembers running into Johnson on campus occasionally. Johnson would often stop and talk, asking about her plans and what she was working on. Johns would eventually get to know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/mary-jackson-biography\">Mary Jackson<\/a>, another Langley researcher central to the \u201cHidden Figures\u201d story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere weren\u2019t a lot of minorities here at that time,\u201d Johns said. \u201cTo know that they were engineers and mathematicians, it just gave me hope that, if they can do it, it can be done. If you work hard, you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She, like many across the agency, said she\u2019d like to send Johnson a birthday message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I had a chance, I would say, thank you for setting the pathway for young people. Thank you for showing us that we can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Enduring legacy<\/strong><\/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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In terms of lives touched, Johnson\u2019s work with youth stands alongside her impact as a world-class mathematician. Langley\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/langley\/nasa-langley-s-katherine-johnson-computational-research-facility-officially-opens\">Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility<\/a>, which opened in September 2017, offers a physical reminder of her contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Katherine Johnson building is near where I work, so I think about her often,\u201d said Kimberly Bloom, director of Langley\u2019s Child Development Center. Johnson\u2019s life and accomplishments would have deserved attention even if Hollywood hadn\u2019t come calling, she suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an important story \u2014 how she empowered women of all races,\u201d Bloom said. \u201cAnd she encouraged kids to learn. She influenced culture here at NASA, but also beyond and made an impact. She certainly is a role model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to thank her for all she\u2019s done not only for NASA but also for this country,\u201d Bloom said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><em>Learn more about Katherine G. Johnson\u2019s life and contributions to NASA<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/langley\/katherine-johnson\">at this link.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\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-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/nasa-blocks\/assets\/images\/media\/media-example-01.jpg\" ><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This landscape of \u201cmountains\u201d and \u201cvalleys\u201d speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA\u2019s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Jasmine Byrd started her job at NASA about two years ago, she knew nothing about Katherine Johnson, the mathematician and \u201chuman computer\u201d whose achievements helped inspire the book and movie \u201cHidden Figures.\u201d At that point, the release of the film was still months away. But excitement was building \u2014 particularly at Byrd\u2019s new workplace. [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":174501,"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":[2863],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[10415],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"At Langley, Admiration and Gratitude Multiply on Katherine Johnson\u2019s 100th Birthday","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/langley\/at-langley-admiration-and-gratitude-multiply-on-katherine-johnsons-100th-birthday\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/langley\/at-langley-admiration-and-gratitude-multiply-on-katherine-johnsons-100th-birthday\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/lrc-2018-h1_p_jasmine_byrd-081608.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/lrc-2018-h1_p_jasmine_byrd-081608.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","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":["NASA Centers & Facilities","Langley Research Center"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-26T14:00:00Z","datePublished":"2018-08-26T14:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T19:11:31Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"At Langley, Admiration and Gratitude Multiply on Katherine Johnson\u2019s 100th Birthday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/langley\/at-langley-admiration-and-gratitude-multiply-on-katherine-johnsons-100th-birthday\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/lrc-2018-h1_p_jasmine_byrd-081608.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2018-08-26T14:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,Langley Research Center\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":6,"time_ago":"6 years","featured_image":{"id":174501,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/lrc-2018-h1_p_jasmine_byrd-081608.jpg","title":"Jasmine Byrd in the lobby of the Katherine Johnson Building.","alt":"NASA Langley's Jasmine Byrd looks at an image of Katherine G. Johnson in the lobby of the building named in her honor.","caption":"Jasmine Byrd in the lobby of the Katherine Johnson Building."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168643"}],"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=168643"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":362775,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168643\/revisions\/362775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168643"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=168643"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=168643"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=168643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}