Katherine Johnson, born August 26, 1918, was an African American mathematician who worked as an aerospace technologist for NASA and was the first woman in her division to have her name on a report. In 1962, astronaut John Glenn wouldn't begin his orbit around the moon without Johnson first checking all computer calculations by hand: "If she says they're good, then I'm ready to go." 

Students watch Bella Gaia and discuss how the film demonstrates the relationship between humans and our ecosystem.

(Please note that if students view on their own device, they are able to get a 360 degree view.)

Students watch this film about Valentina Mindoljevic, a physics teacher in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina who inspires her students.

Has a teacher inspired you? 

Share their story with MY HERO through written stories or film. 

A young man dreams of becoming an astronaut at a time when America currently has no vehicle capable of human space flight. A touching story about hard work, dedication, and the men and women that are working to continue America's efforts in space exploration.

In Secrets of the Universe, Manuel Calderon de la Barca Sanchez joins a global team working to uncover another amazing breakthrough in this new world of technology-driven physics. Get an inside look at the machine to understand just what it means to do science, working together to solve the universe’s greatest mysteries.

Read the following stories about inspiring women from different parts of the world who overcame obstacles and became astronauts. 

How did each of these women demonstrate grit and determination?

What other character traits do they share?

A story about Mae Jamison with translation to French and a story about Ellen Ochoa with a translation to Spanish. 

Additional Stories about Space Pioneers and Heroes

Research other space pioneers and share their stories with MY HERO using the Create Program.

Use the story about Mae Jemison, written by younger elementary students, as a model for a class activity integrating writing skills and art.

Project Ideas:

Individually, students create an illustration about their hero and write a few sentences. 

Collaboratively, students work together to illustrate parts of a common hero's life with accompanying text. 

Submit students' projects to MY HERO.

The story about Sally Ride was written by an upper elementary student.

Project Idea: Students write a story about their space hero, using sentence and paragraph structure appropriate to their grade level. Students create an illustration of their hero to accompany the story, and submit their project to MY HERO. 

This story about Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut to take over as Commander on the International Space Station, was written by a 5th grade student. 

Students analyze the following pieces of visual art. 

Students create original artwork representing their space hero to submit to MY HERO. Teachers may assign a medium to integrate in the curriculum or allow students to chose their own.

Learning Outcomes

Students will develop critical thinking skills as they compare written word, film and art. Students will develop research skills as they explore heroes making advancements in space exploration. 

Outstanding essays submitted to MY HERO will be considered for a certificate/t-shirt prize or be featured on the Story Homepage.

Submit your artwork to be entered in the MY HERO art contest or to be exhibited on our Gallery Homepage.