Katherine Johnson reached for the stars long before she helped send humans into space. Born on August 26, 1918 in West Virginia, Johnson had a gift for numbers. As Johnson later described, she spent her life countingâcounting the steps she walked, the dishes she washed. âAnything that could be counted, I did,â she once said. School came easily for Johnson, and she completed eighth grade by the age of 10. After that, she couldnât continue learning locally because her county denied African American students access to secondary education. Johnsonâs father, Joshua, moved the family 120 miles away so she could attend high school. By 18, she graduated with honors from West Virginia State College, receiving degrees in mathematics and French. She then went on to teach these subjects at a public school. After teaching for many years, one job posting changed the arc of her life. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was looking to hire women to fill unique positions. The job title: Computer. Based at Langley Research Center, these âhuman calculatorsâ checked the math done by NACAâs male engineers and mathematicians. Johnsonâs sharp intellect and resourcefulness were quickly recognized at Langley; she was promoted after only two weeks. Nonetheless, Johnson faced barriers at the agency. At the time, many workplaces werenât integrated, and Johnson and her African American colleagues were segregated within an area of Langley named âWest Computersâ. Regardless, she steadfastly asked questions and made her voice heard. In 1958, NACA began to focus more on space travel, and the agency was newly dubbed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Johnsonâs career flourished at NASA. In 1961, Johnson plotted astronaut Alan Shepardâs path into space. Then in 1962, Johnson helped astronaut John Glenn to be the first American to orbit the Earth. Even though NASA had started using electronic computers, Johnson was the one to double-check the machinesâ calculations before blast-off. Additionally, Johnson contributed to Apollo 11âs milestone 1969 moon landing. She also helped Apollo 13 return safely home after an equipment malfunction. Later in her career, Johnson worked on calculations for NASAâs space shuttles and satellites. Even with such stellar contributions, many people in America didnât know Johnsonâs name until long after her retirement. In 2016, writer Margot Lee Shetterly published Hidden Figures, a chronicle of Johnson and two of her fellow mathematiciansâ work at NASA. Later that year, shetterlyâs bestselling book was turned into a movie of the same name. Finally, the whole world saw the magnificent trajectory of Katherine Johnsonâs career. Read the excerpt. âEven with such stellar contributions, many people in America didnât know Johnsonâs name until long after her retirement. In 2016, writer Margot Lee Shetterly published Hidden Figures, a chronicle of Johnson and two of her fellow mathematiciansâ work at NASA.â Choose the two synonyms that have the same meaning as the word figures as itâs used in the title of Shetterlyâs book. Choose 2 answers: (Choice A) A definitions (Choice B) B answers (Choice C) C numbers (Choice D) D questions (Choice E) E shapes (Choice F) F people
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How many times do you read a text when you use the close reading model? will mark brainliest
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Select the correct answer from each drop-down menu. read the following excerpt from the novel "oliver twist" by charles dickens. although oliver had been brought up by philosophers, he was not theoretically acquainted with the beautiful axiom that self-preservation is the first law of nature. if he had been, perhaps he would have been prepared for this. not being prepared, however, it alarmed him the more; so away he went
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Katherine Johnson reached for the stars long before she helped send humans into space. Born on Augus...
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