NASA Number Genius Short Answer

Katherine Johnson was a brilliant mathematician whose calculations helped NASA send astronauts safely into space. This passage follows Johnson from her childhood love of numbers in West Virginia through her education and eventual career at NASA, where her mathematical abilities became essential to the growing American space program.

This worksheet explores Johnson’s work calculating flight paths for important missions, including John Glenn’s historic orbit around Earth and the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. Students also learn about the racial and gender barriers she faced while building her career. The passage gives readers practice identifying important accomplishments, sequencing historical events, and understanding how intelligence, determination, and careful work can contribute to extraordinary achievements.