On the 59th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic launch into space, a space station supply ship named after the Black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson was sent into orbit Saturday.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule, named the S.S. Katherine Johnson, is expected to reach should reach the International Space Station on Monday, according to reports.
Johnson, who was featured in the movie “Hidden Figures,” died almost exactly a year ago at age 101.
“Mrs. Johnson was selected for her hand-written calculations that helped launch the first Americans into space, as well as her accomplishments in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a Black woman,” said Frank DeMauro, a Northrop Grumman vice president. “A homework assignment for all of you is to go watch that movie after the Cygnus launch.”
Johnson contributed to the Feb. 20, 1962 launch. The success of Glenn’s flight was made possible due to the work of Johnson and other Black women who were depicted in the 2017 film. They worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Saturday’s Northrop Grumman launch was in the early afternoon from Wallops. The Antares rocket was visible from the Carolinas to Connecticut, under clear conditions.
