virginia, she was a mathematician, a pioneer. part of a small group of african-american women hired as mathematicians at nasa. breaking gender barriers, racial barriers in the 50s and 60s, she worked on the first u.s.-manned space flights. calculating the precise trajectories that would allow apollo 11 to land on the moon. that s one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. reporter: her role was long overlooked. katherine on the far right. her daughter would hear the stories. momma got there at 53. the engineers came and asked for some specific skills. the supervisor said, oh, well that s katherine. reporter: and what was her le? the work was to take a monroe or friden calculator and do the big equations, which could be a page long. math is always dependable. reporter: johnson s role portrayed in the film hidden figures. you have someone? oh, yes, ma am.
aveeno® daily moisturizer get skin healthy™ i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424. finally tonight here, america strong. an american pioneer who, for so long, was a hidden figure at nasa. katherine johnson was from west
katherine s the gal for that. she can handle any numbers you put in front of her. reporter: she would own her role. we can calculate launch and landing, but without this conversion, the capsule stays in orbit. we can t bring it back home. reporter: you ll remember the movie was nominated for best picture. a true nasa and american hero, katherine johnson. reporter: she was also awarded the presidential medal of freedom. the nation s highest civilian honor. and when her daughter asked all those years later, what if someone questioned you? what happened if somebody questioned your work? tough. reporter: tough. and so was she. a true american pioneer. katherine johnson was 101. and an american original. i m david muir. good night.