Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson To Be Inducted Into Air & Space Hall of Fame

The daughter of a “Hidden Figure” will represent her mother Saturday evening as she is inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Katherine Moore will accept the honor for her mother, Katherine Johnson, whose calculations in the new field of orbital mechanics were instrumental in bringing mankind to the moon during NASA’s Apollo Project. Johnson died in 2020.

“We are honored to have Katherine Moore represent her mother Katherine Johnson as we celebrate her amazing career and accomplishments as one of the most important figures in the history of American space flight,” said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Often referred to as a “Human Computer” for her unmatched mathematical prowess, Katherine Johnson’s contributions, made with minimal technological resources and recognition at the time, laid the foundation for the United States’ advancements in space exploration.

The 2016 book and film “Hidden Figures” were focused on Johnson’s experiences working for NASA during the Cold War, along with other Black women.

The event will be a gala held at the museum in Balboa Park and will celebrate other individuals, companies, and technologies important in the history of aviation and spaceflight, including:

— Stephen Altemus, co-founder, president and CEO of Intuitive Machines;

— Bell Textron, the aviation company renowned for its “relentless pursuit of advancing the boundaries of vertical lift technology,”;

— Salvatore T. “Tory” Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, the nation’s most experienced space launch service provider;

–The International Council of Air Shows, a leader in air show industry standards;

— Larry Mendelson, who built HEICO into a global powerhouse and aerospace giant;

— The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, a long-range strike bomber; and

— Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Supersonic.

The event will take place in the museum’s Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight. The International Air & Space Hall of Fame has honored pilots, astronauts, inventors, and others in the aviation industry since 1963.

—City News Service