Final answer:
Katherine Johnson was an influential mathematician who made significant contributions to NASA and the space program. She is best known for her calculations in determining the trajectory for the first moon landing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Katherine Johnson was an influential mathematician who worked for NASA. She made significant contributions to the success of the first spaceflight and many others through her calculations of orbital mechanics. Johnson's curiosity and desire to fully understand her work set her apart, and she is best known for her calculations in determining the trajectory for the first moon landing. Despite facing discrimination as one of the first Black women hired at NASA, Johnson wrote or cowrote 26 research articles during her 33-year career with the space program. Her life and career are emphasized in various sources, including a biography on the NASA website and a book and film called Hidden Figures.