NASA honors ‘Hidden Figures’ inspiration with a new research facility

More than 50 years after Katherine Johnson first helped send astronauts into space, the once “hidden figure” is hidden no more at NASA. 

The federal agency named a new research facility in Johnson’s honor this week. The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia opened Friday. 

Johnson was part of a group of black women mathematicians whose calculations — done by hand — were essential to NASA’s early space missions. She was memorably portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the movie Hidden Figures last year.  Read more…

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