The Grainger College of Engineering

Barbara Crawford Johnson

Barbara Crawford Johnson
Barbara Crawford Johnson
To Barbara Crawford Johnson, researcher, engineer, project manager, for her originality and technical contributions to space flight dynamics of missiles and manned vehicles, for her unusual capacity to be a contributing member of a team as well as an inspiring leader able to manage both people and projects.

Manager, Mission Requirements and Integration Space Shuttle Programs, Space Division, Rockwell International, Downey, California

  • BS, General Engineering, 1946

Mrs. Johnson was the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree in the UIUC Department of General Engineering. She began her career with the Space Division of Rockwell International (then North American Aviation), and has held positions of research and leadership for guided missiles and space flight. For the Apollo missions she supervised the trajectory design for the earth reentry and the design and evaluation of the entry monitor system (EMS). In 1968 Mrs. Johnson was appointed system engineering manager for mission-related system activities in support of command and service modules (CSM). This was the highest position ever held by a woman at the Space Division. She officially represented the company in technical meetings with NASA management and astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Since 1973 Mrs. Johnson has been manager of mission requirements for the shuttle system.

She received the Annual Achievement Award of the Society of Women Engineers in 1974. Earlier she had received a plaque commemorating her outstanding contributions to the Apollo missions.

Current as of 1975.