Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars

Author(s): Nathalia Holt

Historical

In the 1940s and 50s, when the newly minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory needed quick-thinking mathematicians to calculate velocities and plot trajectories, they recruited an elite group of young women who, with only pencil, paper, and mathematical prowess, transformed rocket design, helped bring about the first American satellites, and made the exploration of the solar system possible. Rise of the Rocket Girls tells the stories of these women--known as "human computers"--who broke the boundaries of both gender and science. Based on extensive research and interviews, Nathalia Holt offers a unique perspective on the role of women in science: both where we've been, and the far reaches of space to which we're heading.


Product Information

A riveting true story of the women who launched America into space. A fascinating look into the lives of the women who have worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from its inception in the 1940s until today.

Paul, The Book Grocer

 

"Incredible....Holt unveils this forgotten history with nuance and insight." Laurel Raymond, Think Progress"

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nathalia Holt is the author of Cured: The People Who Defeated HIV and a former fellow at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, TheAtlantic.com, Slate, Time.com, and Popular Science. She lives in Boston.

General Fields

  • : 9780316338905
  • : Little Brown & Company
  • : Back Bay Books
  • : 0.34473
  • : November 2016
  • : 216mm X 135mm
  • : United States
  • : March 2017
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Nathalia Holt
  • : Paperback
  • : 317
  • : English
  • : 629.409252
  • : 352
  • : 1x 8pp colour insert1x 8pp b/w insert11 b/w photos throughout