Description
Get to know the woman who made many of NASA’s early missions possible in this fascinating.
Meet Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician who worked at NASA in the early 1950s until retiring in 1986. Katherine’s unparalleled calculations (done by hand) helped plan the trajectories for NASA’s Mercury and Apollo missions (including the Apollo 11 moon landing). She is said to be one of the greatest American minds of all time.
A special section at the back of the book includes extras on subjects like history and math, plus inspiring careers for math lovers. Sputnik is also introduced!
From the book’s Introduction:
What is your favorite subject in school? Have you ever thought about why you like it so much? Have you ever wondered what kind of a career you might have someday that involves your favorite subject?
You should meet Katherine Johnson. From the time she was a very little girl, Katherine loved math. And she knew why, too. “It was hard,” she said, remembering doing. math in school, “but when you got it, you got it. You had to work for it. There was a right and a wrong, and you knew when you got there.”
Another thing Katherine knew was that she would someday find a job that involved math. But even she never imagined that her math skills would help the US put the first man on the moon!
From an Amazon reviewer – Karo:
A biography that is just right for early readers. Level 3 is appropriately designated. Doesn’t get involved in complicated math yet it is understood that Mrs. Johnson’s incredible mathematical abilities took her (and the astronauts) to soaring heights. Having to overcome race and gender inequality was handled well. Ordered this for an elementary school library to add to our biography collection and was not disappointed.
Pictures from https://www.black-ladies.org/katherine-johnson-nasa
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