NASA Trailblazer: Katherine Johnson | National Geographic

Born in 1918, Katherine Johnson was one of the first Black students to integrate West Virginia’s graduate schools before becoming a NASA mathematician, where she helped send astronauts into orbit around Earth and to the moon and back. She is an awardee of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the 2020 recipient of the Hubbard Medal, National Geographic’s highest honor, recognizing a lifetime achievement in research, discovery, and exploration.