KATHERINE JOHNSON DRESS

This work is a tribute to Katherine Johnson, the brilliant mathematician whose complex calculations of orbital mechanics were crucial to the success of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first space missions leading up to and including the Apollo 11 flight to the moon (July 1969) and the subsequent Space Shuttle program. The symbols and diagrams embroidered on the dress and printed on the backdrop are sourced from a paper about lunar orbits that she co-authored with NASA engineer Harold Hamer, published in March 1969*. The emblem on the collar of the dress is a variation on the official NASA symbol from that era. Historical photos of Katherine Johnson reflect her modestly elegant style of dress. She was proficient with a sewing machine and made clothing for her daughters, herself and other members of her community who might have been in need of a garment for a special occasion. The design I chose for this dress, a combination of two McCall’s patterns, is one that I thought she might have made for herself had she been invited to an imagined NASA event celebrating that first moonwalk in 1969.

This piece links Katherine Johnson’s professional life as a mathematician with her domestic life as a homemaker and active community member. In reading about her life, one can’t help sensing that she was deeply engaged in all three facets of her life.

Background: Katherine Johnson’s contributions to the NASA Space Program were particularly remarkable given the barriers she faced at that time, both as a woman and a woman of colour. Her story was brought to light in the book Hidden Figures(2016) by author, Margot Shetterly, and the movie of the same name. Katherine was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015 for her outstanding contribution. As well, two NASA facilities have been named in her honour.Katherine Johnson died at the age of 101 in 2020.

*NASA Technical Note D-5105: Effect of Gravitational-Model Selection on Accuracy of Lunar Orbit Determination from Short Data Arcs.

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