In 1953, Johnson got an opportunity that would change her life. She started working at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, which later became part of NASA. Johnson was hired as a “human computer.” She and other female mathematicians solved the difficult math equations needed to design, test, and fly planes—and later, spacecraft.
Despite their important work, the women were paid less than men who had similar jobs. Also, when Johnson started working at Langley, segregation was legal. She and her Black co-workers were kept separate from White women who did the same job.
Still, Johnson’s talents would not remain hidden. Before working with Glenn, she helped calculate the flight path for America’s first human spaceflight, by Alan Shepard, in 1961.
But Johnson was proudest of her role in the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. She helped astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin return home safely from the moon. They had a small window of time to blast off and reconnect with their command module orbiting the moon. Johnson’s team made the precise calculations that enabled the two spacecraft to link up for the trip back to Earth.