The 2016 film, based on a book released earlier that year, depicted the struggle of Johnson and other black women for equality at NASA during the height of the Space Age and segregation. The mathematician tracked the trajectories of crucial missions in the 1960s.
“I am thrilled we are honoring Katherine Johnson in this way as she is a true American icon who overcame incredible obstacles and inspired so many,” Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA, said Friday in a statement. A dedication ceremony is to be held at a later time.
The newly renamed facility, in Fairmont, West Virginia, will now be known as the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility. The program housed at the facility monitors the software used to track high-profile NASA missions, according to the agency’s website.
“So happy and proud to see Katherine Johnson’s legacy cemented,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said on Twitter, noting the significance of the honor during Black History Month.
President Donald Trump signed the measure to rename the facility after Johnson in December after Congress passed a bill introduced by Capito to do so, according to a NASA spokeswoman.
Johnson, who turned 100 in August, “remains in awe and honored by” the accolades she has received, Joylette Hylick, one of Johnson’s daughters, said Friday. Hylick said her mother “can’t imagine why people would want to honor her for just doing a good job.”
“Hidden Figures,” the book by Margot Lee Shetterly about Johnson and other black women’s fight for equality in the workplace, increased awareness about her status as a trailblazer. The film of the same name received three Academy Award nominations.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.