NASA To Hold Formal Ceremony To Rename W. Va. Facility

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) – NASA is holding a formal ceremony to rename a West Virginia facility after a mathematician whose calculations helped astronauts return to Earth. The ceremony is set for Tuesday in Fairmont for the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility. Congress passed a bill allowing the name change and President Donald Trump signed it into law on Dec. 11. In June, George Mason University named a building on its Manassas, Virginia, campus in Johnson’s honor. Johnson, who is now 100, worked at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton as a human “computer.”  She was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the film “Hidden Figures,” which documented the contributions of her and two other African-American women while overcoming racism and sexism. Last year, Johnson was honored by alma mater West Virginia State University with a bronze statue and scholarship dedication.