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Pioneering black NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson dies at 101: Her Calculations of Orbital Mechanics were critical to the success of the U.S. crewed spaceflights
Associated Press via WTOP News ^ | 02/24/2020

Posted on 02/24/2020 8:58:07 PM PST by SeekAndFind

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To: Fury; Greetings_Puny_Humans
"15-20 percent black, tops..."

Unfortunately, one of the more ignorant statements on the thread.

Do you have any detailed information to support your claim? Anything?

I gotta go with Fury on this one, although I'd soften the statement to be:"Unfortunately, one of the more mistaken statements on the thread."

I'm looking at this lady and her pictures, and I totally see that she is black, if perhaps a light-skinned black person. The facial features are those of a black person.

41 posted on 02/25/2020 7:42:37 AM PST by Lazamataz (I died of coronavirus and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. And a coffin.)
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To: Montana_Sam
Slide rules and CRC tables were the tools of the day.

Yeah, and?

ML/NJ

42 posted on 02/25/2020 8:18:42 AM PST by ml/nj
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To: SeekAndFind
Her Calculations of Orbital Mechanics were critical to the success of the U.S. crewed spaceflights

OK Boomer.

43 posted on 02/25/2020 8:19:34 AM PST by Jim Noble (There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know)
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To: Montana_Sam; ml/nj
I’m highly skeptical of your bravado.

But he would have us believe that he could have written this paper while in HS.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19640016000.pdf

Certaily if ml/nj had been working for NASA in the 1960's we'd have a Trump Tower on Mars by now. : ),

44 posted on 02/25/2020 8:23:02 AM PST by MD Expat in PA (No. I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV. The MD in my screen name stands for Maryland)
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To: Fury; Greetings_Puny_Humans; Lazamataz; Doulos1
"15-20 percent black, tops..."

Look are her hair and skin color. We can see where she got the math gene.

Katherine Johnson as a child, pictured in the middle with her mother and siblings.


45 posted on 02/25/2020 8:35:49 AM PST by MD Expat in PA (No. I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV. The MD in my screen name stands for Maryland)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

“’The girl’ always bugged me..”

I’m a northerner transplanted in the south, and I always feel creepy when people call me “Miss ____”. To me it sounds like they feel subservient to me in some way. Now I realize it’s a term of respect for older ladies — but it still kind of bugs me.


46 posted on 02/25/2020 8:42:48 AM PST by MayflowerMadam ("Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength" - Corrie ten Boom)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

“I look forward to watching the movie.”

The movie was excellent. I was skeptical at first, as DH was in missile defense his entire career and there were many cases when minorities were hired over better-qualified people to bump up the quotas. Work suffered. This movie was nothing like this. The ladies were hired because they were geniuses; quotas were not a “thing” then.


47 posted on 02/25/2020 8:45:51 AM PST by MayflowerMadam ("Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength" - Corrie ten Boom)
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To: MayflowerMadam
"still kind of bugs me"

It's hard to overcome our programing.

48 posted on 02/25/2020 9:51:28 AM PST by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: MayflowerMadam

My Dad built spacecraft systems for most of his career so this will be enjoyable for me. Dad managed the Radioisotope Thermal Generator project at GE for the two Voyager spacecraft that have left the solar system! Amazing stuff.

All copies at our library are checked out or on hold. I just added it to my Netflix queue.


49 posted on 02/25/2020 10:01:34 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Greetings_Puny_Humans
She looks really really white?

At least, 80-85%, correct? Good grief...

50 posted on 02/25/2020 11:35:21 AM PST by Fury
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To: MD Expat in PA
Excellent paper at your link - thanks for that!
Yeah, I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade, but I WAS in high school in the late 1960's, slide rule and all, and our level of physics and math wouldn't have been sufficient to handle the multi-body equations Ms. Johnson and her colleagues would have had to solve. Maybe ml/nj WAS prepared, but that would have been the exception.
51 posted on 02/25/2020 11:55:51 AM PST by Montana_Sam (Truth lives.)
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To: ml/nj

I was in highschool in the late 1960’s, and stories of Goddard’s team losing rocket after rocket were still main-stream rocket science. Your claim to be able to solve the multi-body equations Ms. Johnson would have had to do just struck me as quite a ... feat.


52 posted on 02/25/2020 11:59:19 AM PST by Montana_Sam (Truth lives.)
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To: Montana_Sam
Your claim to be able to solve the multi-body equations Ms. Johnson would have had to do just struck me as quite a ... feat.

A) I didn't claim that; and

B) She didn't solve any multi-body equations so far as I can tell. (Two is not considered multi-body.)

The real problem is figuring out the effect of atmospheric drag; and from what I can tell they had data upon which to build their model.

Papers that include statements like:

for small angles x:

sin x = x
cos x = 1

... aren't real mathematical papers. They're intended to impress the unwashed.

ML/NJ

53 posted on 02/25/2020 12:30:00 PM PST by ml/nj
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To: Crucial

Upon checking via Wiki, the obit sold the lady short. She had a solid background in math and physics including orbital mechanics. The obit in my local rag only stressed the calculation aspect. The text referred to a slide rule when the photo clearly showed a Frieden calculator on her desk. No mention that she used her knowledge of orbital mechanics to make the calculations, not just plug values into someone else’s formulas.


54 posted on 02/25/2020 2:28:22 PM PST by MisterArtery
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To: TalBlack

Gotchya:) Thanks for expanding.


55 posted on 02/25/2020 5:17:19 PM PST by Engedi (ui)
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To: ml/nj

Since it’s obvious you didn’t read the linked pdf, I’ll leave you to your delusions. Peace.


56 posted on 02/25/2020 5:51:16 PM PST by Montana_Sam (Truth lives.)
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