Space station honors late ‘Hidden Figures’ mathematician Katherine Johnson

Northrop Grumman’s space station supply ship — named the S.S. Katherine Johnson in honor of the late mathematician whose work inspired the film “Hidden Figures” — was launched into orbit on Saturday.

Saturday marked the 59th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic launch, in which Johnson provided calculations as part of NASA’s computer pool. Johnson, alongside other Black women, worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., processing data that had a major role in multiple historic manned space missions, The Associated Press reported.

“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,” Northrop Grumman Vice President Frank DeMauro said, according to the AP. 

DeMauro also suggested that launch viewers watch the movie “Hidden Figures” to learn more about Johnson’s contributions following Saturday’s launch.

Johnson died in February of last year at the age of 101.

The four-ton capsule, which Northrop Grumman launched for NASA, will deliver food to astronauts as well as nearly 120,000 roundworms for a muscle experiment and computer equipment for data processing, the AP reported.

Saturday’s launch marked the 15th station supply run that Northrop Grumman has carried out for NASA.