Katherine Johnson, the trailblazing NASA mathematician whose work helped propel the United States into outer space, has died at the age of 101. Her contributions included calculating rocket trajectories and earth orbits by hand during the space agency's early years. President Obama awarded Johnson the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2015. Her story, and the stories of other African-American women who contributed to NASA's early success in the space race, became the subject of the movie "Hidden Figures" in 2016.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that "we will never forget her courage and leadership and the milestones we could not have reached without her." Photos by NASA and Reuters.
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