Blast Off!
How Mary Sherman Morgan Fueled America into Space
Ratings1
Average rating5
15
How Mary Sherman Morgan Fueled America into Space
Ratings1
Average rating5
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids The inspirational story of Mary Sherman, the world's first female rocket scientist, who overcame gender barriers and many failures to succeed. Growing up in the 1920s on a dirt-poor farm in North Dakota, Mary Sherman's life was filled with chores--until she finally began school and discovered she loved to learn. Mary excelled at science, especially chemistry, and leaped at the chance to work in a laboratory during World War II designing rocket fuels. And when the US decided to enter the space race, Mary was chosen over her male colleagues to create the fuel to launch a rocket carrying America's first satellite. With courage and perseverance, Mary's hard work and calculations paid off, opening up a brand-new frontier for exploration. This STEM biography of an unsung and courageous woman in science will inspire and motivate young readers.
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Blast Off! tells the inspiring story of a woman who had so many chores to do as a child that she wasn't permitted to attend school until the authorities forced her parents to allow her to do so. Morgan was the valedictorian of her class and she was able to study chemistry at college for two years until her money ran out. Then she sought employment as a chemist despite her lack of a four-year degree and despite the fact that only men were employed as chemists. She soon became the best chemist on staff, with a specialty in fuels, and it was she that the government came to when they needed a rocket fuel to launch the first American satellite into space.
A riveting story, with illustrations that add to the text.
