A post shared on X claims National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mathematician Katherine Johnson died in 2024.

Katherine Johnson, one of the first African-American NASA scientists who helped calculate the precise trajectories that allowed Apollo 11 to land on the moon in 1969, has passed away at the age of 101. May she Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/Lx9UFRyFnh

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) September 9, 2024

Verdict: Misleading

Johnson died in 2020, not 2024.

Fact Check:

The post claims that Johnson, who was portrayed in the 2016 film Hidden Figures by Taraji Henson, died recently. The user wrote, “Katherine Johnson, one of the first African-American NASA scientists who helped calculate the precise trajectories that allowed Apollo 11 to land on the moon in 1969, has passed away at the age of 101. May she Rest In Peace.”

This claim is misleading. It is true that Johnson died at the age of 101, and she also worked on calculations for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, according to her biography on NASA’s website and Britannica.

Johnson, however, died in February 2020, according to her NASA biography. She was 101 years old, having been born on August 26, 1918.

“Our NASA family is sad to learn the news that Katherine Johnson passed away this morning at 101 years old. She was an American hero and her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten,” NASA Administrator James Bridenstine said, according to her biography. (RELATED: Did The Vatican Remove 14 Books From The Bible?)

Johnson’s work was also vital for the Friendship 7 mission, with astronaut John Glenn saying, “If she says they’re good, then I’m ready to go” when it came to “orbital equations that would control the trajectory of the capsule,” according to her NASA biography.