AUTHORITIES STILL ARE INVESTIGATING THIS >> COUNTRY LOST AN ICON TODAY
A LEGENDARY NASA MATHEMATICIAN
CATHERINE JOHNSON DIED THIS
MORNING AT THE AGE OF 101. SHE
WORKED AT NASA LANGLEY AND
HAMPTON FOR 33 YEARS AND WAS
KNOWN AS THE HUMAN COMPUTER.
HER WORK THERE HELPED PUT THE
FIRST MAN ON THE MOON AND
INSPIRED THE BOOK AND MOVIE
HIDDEN FIGURES. 13 IS NOW
REPORTER DANA SMITH SHOWS US
HOW SHE'S BEING REMEMBERED.
>> SHE'S CONSIDERED AN
AMERICAN ICON A ROLE MODEL AND
TRAILBLAZER IN SCIENCE IN
MATHEMATICS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO
SEVERAL AMERICAN MILESTONES IN
SPACE EXPLORATION. SHE PLAYED
>> CRITICAL ROLES AND WE
WOULDN'T BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY
WITH AMERICA'S SPACE PROGRAM IF
IT WASN'T FOR CATHERINE JOHNSON
CATHERINE
>> JOHNSON WAS KNOWN AS THE
HUMAN COMPUTER WHO CALCULATED
TRAJECTORIES FOR SEVERAL NASA
SPACE MISSIONS INCLUDING THE
FIRST AMERICAN SPACEFLIGHT AND
>> THE APOLLO 11 MOON LANDING.
SHE DIDN'T JUST OPEN THE DOORS
TO SPACE SHE OPENED THE DOORS
TO WOMEN. SHE OPENED THE DOORS
TO PEOPLE OF COLOR AND THAT'S
REALLY HER LEGACY. HER
>> CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
COUNTRY WERE THE FOCUS OF THE
BESTSELLING NOVEL HIDDEN
FIGURES WHICH LATER BECAME AN
OSCAR NOMINATED FILM. DURING
HER LIFE SHE ALSO RECEIVED A
CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL AND A
PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM.
JOHNSON MOVED ROADS IN THE
1950S AND WORKED AT NASA
LANGLEY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.
IN 2016 OFFICIALS THERE NAMED A
BUILDING IN HER HONOR LANGLEY'S
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM LEAD ROB
WYMAN SAID HE'S MET JOHNSON ON
SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THERE'S
NOT A SINGLE PERSON AT LANGLEY
WHO ISN'T INSPIRED BY HER I WAS
JUST
>> ALWAYS AMAZED THAT EVEN
THOUGH IN HER ADVANCED AGE SHE
SHARP AS A TACK SHE WAS WITTY.
SHE WAS FUNNY. SHE CRACKING
JOKES AND SHE WAS TELLING
STORIES AND WAS SO HUMBLE AND
JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT A
BUILDING WAS BEING NAMED AFTER
HER. SHE NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD
GO THAT FAR.
>> TRIBUTES TO JOHNSON ARE
INITIALLY A FEW OF THEM. THIS
IS ON TWITTER FROM TARAJI P.
HENSON WHO PLAYED JOHNSON IN
THE MOVIE HIDDEN FIGURES. SHE
SAID YOU HAD INTELLIGENCE POISE
GRACE AND BEAUTY TALKING ABOUT
JOHNSON SHE SAID BECAUSE OF
YOUR HARD WORK LITTLE GIRLS
EVERYWHERE CAN DREAM AS BIG AS
THE MOON. HERE'S ANOTHER 1 THIS
IS FROM GOVERNOR ROWLAND FOR
THEM. HE CALLED JOHNSON A
PIONEER THAT BROKE BARRIERS OF
RACE AND GENDER AND HELPED TAKE
US TO THE FOR JOHNSON'S WORK
WITH
>> THAT APOLLO 11 MISSION.
HERE'S ANOTHER 1 FROM NASA WHO
SAID THAT THEY ARE CELEBRATING
HER LIFE AND THEY'RE HONORING
HER LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE THAT
BROKE DOWN RACIAL AND SOCIAL
BARRIERS. THERE ARE A LOT MORE
OF THESE COMING IN ACROSS
TWITTER AND ALL OF THOSE WHO
NEW JOBS AND OR