Katherine Johnson and the role of black women in the space age

In Brazil, Black Awareness Day invites us to reflect on the struggles and achievements of black people throughout history, celebrating their resistance and legacy in different areas. But while in Brazil, racism manifests itself both structurally and in veiled attitudes, the United States in the 1960s was a country where racial segregation was openly institutionalized. And it was in this scenario that a black woman defied barriers that seemed insurmountable to become a central figure in the space age. When the world could not afford to ignore its greatest talents, science found among those despised by society some of its most brilliant minds, and Katherine Johnson stood out as one of the most notable.

Katherine Johnson was a physicist, space scientist and one of the most talented mathematicians at NASA, at a time when computers occupied entire rooms and the dream of reaching the Moon divided American minds with a much simpler dream, but much more distant than the lunar soil: that dream of Martin Luther King, of equality between men. In that troubled time, Katherine challenged racial prejudices through the laws of physics, calculating, with precision, the trajectories that would take man to the Moon, boosting humanity's giant leap and inspiring an entire generation in the search for a more just society.

(Katherine Johnson working at NASA's Spacecraft Control Department in 1966 – Image: wikimedia.org)

Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in a small town in West Virginia in the United States. Her passion for mathematics blossomed from an early age, propelling her to overcome the barriers of racial segregation and gender inequality in the United States of the 1950s and 60s. She graduated from high school at age 14 and at 18, completed her degree in Mathematics. At a time when the presence of women and minorities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was minimal and many universities simply did not accept black people, Katherine and her colleagues proved that talent and dedication have no color or gender.

In 1953, her ability with numbers led Katherine to join NACA (which would later become NASA) to work as a “human computer”, manually calculating the complex equations that described the trajectories of space missions. Even among the challenges of working in a place where black people had different treatment, separate bathrooms, and even the coffee was segregated, Katherine grew up and earned the respect of her colleagues, becoming so important that, little by little, the barriers of segregation were overturned.

His precision and mathematical skill were legendary. So much so that, in 1962, when John Glenn was preparing to become the first American to orbit the Earth, he personally asked Katherine to review the calculations generated by the new electronic computers. “If Katherine says the calculations are right, then I'm ready to go!” declared Glenn, demonstrating not only that he would trust his life to Katherine's extraordinary abilities, but also that he was willing to break the social and racial barriers of the time.

And she was right! His calculations were fundamental not only to Glenn's flight, but also to the success of the Mercury and Apollo Programs. The trajectories calculated by Katherine Johnson would take astronauts to the Moon and back to Earth safely. Along with her colleagues, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, Katherine was part of a group of black women who became known as NASA's “human computers.” Together they faced the challenges of an era marked by discrimination, but paved the way for future generations of women and minorities in science.

The work of Katherine Johnson and her colleagues has had a profound impact on the fight for gender and racial equality in scientific fields. They have proven that diversity is not just an issue of social justice, but also a driver for innovation and scientific progress. After all, the best solutions emerge when different perspectives and talents come together in pursuit of a common goal.

Among the various honors received by Katherine for her magnificent work at NASA is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by Barack Obama in 2015, and in 2016, she was included in the list of the 100 most inspiring and influential women in the world by the BBC. Two important NASA facilities were also named in honor of Katherine Johnson, including the Computational Research Facilities. Furthermore, the stories of Katherine, Dorothy and Mary Jackson at NASA, which inspired an entire generation, were told in the moving film “Hidden Figures”, which I recommend.

The trajectory of this extraordinary woman teaches us that the search for knowledge has no barriers. The stars we observe in the night sky remind us that we are all part of the same universe, and that diversity and inclusion are essential to unlocking its mysteries. The talent and dedication of Katherine Johnson and her colleagues shine like a light, illuminating the path to a future where science and space exploration are accessible to everyone, regardless of their color, gender or origin.

Katherine's journey in this world ended in 2020 after more than 100 years of resistance. But she continues to inspire each of us to pursue our dreams, overcoming the barriers of prejudice to build a fairer and more equal future for everyone. With her precise calculations, Katherine Johnson took man to the Moon, and with her courage and perseverance, she helped transform this incredible feat into an achievement for all humanity.