Farewell to Mathematician Katherine Johnson, Crucial “Hidden Figure” at NASA in the ’60s Space Race

From her time as a childhood math prodigy in West Virginia to her crucial role as a “computer” at NASA, where her calculations helped lead astronauts into orbit and then the moon, black mathematician Katherine Johnson was a pioneering figure in spaceflight. Johnson’s work was critical to NASA’s earlier successes—especially during the space race—but they wouldn’t get mainstream recognition until President Barack Obama awarded her …

The Future of Space Food

MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative focuses on all kinds of research and preparation for “the day when humanity becomes a space-native civilization, as comfortable in the cosmos as we have been on Earth.” The team (made up of 50+ graduate students, staff, scientists, designers, and engineers) works on countless aspects of space travel, but hones in on two central topics: boredom and food. These …

Lexus’ Vehicular Visions for the Moon

For Document Journal’s Fall/Winter 2019 print issue, editors asked Lexus designers a question: “How will we navigate the moon’s low-gravity, rocky terrain?” Using their current models as starting points, the designers drafted seven concepts up for the task and Ian Cartabiano, Lexus’ Design President, explained each one to Document Journal’s Maraya Fisher. “We were trying to create a very futuristic and avant-garde statement that still …