Long before today’s technology was invented, Katherine Johnson was known as a computer. She calculated flight trajectories, by hand, for the United States space program.

Without the brilliance of a mind like Johnson’s, it’s uncertain whether John Glenn would have pioneered space missions and doubtful Neil Armstrong would have been the first human to step onto the surface of the moon.

Her precise calculations ensured the astronauts made it to space safely and back.

For her contributions to space exploration, Katherine Johnson, who died in February 2020 at the age of 101, was selected as the 2020 recipient of the National Geographic Society Hubbard Medal, awarded for achievement in research, discovery, and exploration. Though she herself wasn’t physically exploring space, without her there