Text 1
In the early days of the U.S. space program, many human "computers" were needed to calculate anything from rocket trajectories to orbital mechanics. These computers were almost exclusively women using nothing more than paper, pencil, and advanced math skills to make their calculations. They were vital to many space missions, from the launch of the first satellites in the 1950s to the 1977 launch of the solar-system-exploring Voyager spacecraft.
Text 2
Despite facing discrimination as a woman and an African American, Katherine Johnson's command of advanced mathematics made her an invaluable part of the early American space program. As a human computer, she calculated—by hand—complicated trajectories for satellites and manned spacecraft, including those that went to the moon. She was so impressive that astronaut John Glenn asked her to verify his first trip into space because he did not trust the new electronic computers, which kept crashing.
Which sentence best combines the main, or central, ideas of both texts?
