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Title details for Counting the Stars by Lesa Cline-Ransome - Available

Counting the Stars

The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician

by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Andy T. Jones
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or astronauts walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used their knowledge, pencils, adding machines, and writing paper to calculate the orbital mechanics needed to launch spacecraft. Katherine Johnson was one of these mathematicians who used trajectories and complex equations to chart the space program. Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws were in place in the early 1950s, Katherine worked analyzing data at the NACA (later NASA) Langley laboratory. In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Katherine Johnson was called upon, and John Glenn said "get the girl" (Katherine Johnson) to run the numbers by hand to chart the complexity of the orbital flight. He knew that his flight couldn't work without her unique skills. President Barack Obama awarded Katherine Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and her incredible life inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    October 8, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666579574
      • File size: 9823 KB
      • Duration: 00:20:27

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1030
    • Text Difficulty: 6-8

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 26, 2019
      Cline-Ransome’s picture book biography pays tribute to African-American math prodigy Katherine Johnson, who soared past societal barriers to become one of NASA’s celebrated human computers. In long text blocks, the narrative underlines Johnson’s mathematical prowess and natural inquisitiveness (“Why? What? How?”), focusing on her early life (counting stars, skipping grades, earning a full college scholarship at 15), marriage and parenthood, and her career at Langley (early assignments, work amid the space race, persuading higher-ups that she should attend meetings) up through calculating the trajectory of astronaut John Glenn’s 1962 Earth orbit. Colón’s trademark illustrations, with their combed-through textures, set Johnson apart visually; her rainbow-hued dresses radiate alongside her white male colleagues’ white apparel. An author’s note concludes this handsomely illustrated book about a Hidden Figures standout. Ages 4–8.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1030
  • Text Difficulty:6-8

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