George Morgan - Rocket Girl

NAVAHO rocket engine

G. Richard Morgan’s comment on, 237

Mary worked on, 177, 186

tested conducted at Santa Susanna Field Laboratory, 226

use of hydrazine caused explosion, 202

Nebel, Rudolf

helped create the Raketenflugplatz, 25

student friend of von Braun, 25–26

Newe, Karen (Morgan)

assists at parents’ garage sale, 96

assists with interviews, 297–298

occupation of, 12

relation to author, 12

Sherman family recollections, 49

North American Aviation (NAA)

attracted WWII veterans, 136

bridge culture, 14

builder of NALAR, 154, 280

builder of Santa Susanna Field Laboratory, 232

employee termination, 38

history of, 12

Huzel, Dieter, worked at, 131, 264

Jet Propulsion Laboratory and, 274

Kanarek, Irving, worked at, 38–39, 303n4

Kindelberger, Dutch, president of, 222, 256, 258

liquid-rocket pioneer, 135, 222

location of (1940s), 136

Mary at, 39, 136, 139, 177, 199, 216, 280, 285

Mary offered position at, 151

Medaris sends contract to, 174–175, 181, 296

Morgan, G. Richard, at, 162–164, 272

Riedel, Walther, hired by, 264

Shimizu, Toru, at, 196–197

Silverman, Jack, at, 188

stage play replication of, 207

testing of hydyne, 237

von Braun congratulates, 278

von Braun visits, 203, 204

Webber, Bill, at, 196–197, 298

World War II work, 256

Peenemünde

Allied bombing of, 123

conditions at, 146–147

Dornberger at, 67

evacuation and destruction, 118

personnel murdered, 118

Russians advance on, 117

slave labor used at 117

von Braun at, 67

pentaborane

Mary’s work with, 185

poisons two technicians, 263–265, 296

Redstone propellant candidate, 200

Plum Brook Ordnance

construction of, 123

land seizures, 122–123

Mary employed at, 86–93, 99, 103, 106

opens door for North American Aviation job, 139, 140, 143

recruited by, 82–85

takes maternity leave, 106

post-war decline of, 128

production capacity, 123

products produced, 89, 122

relationship with US government, 122

wartime purpose of, 92

R-1 rocket

early Korolev project, 155

failure of, 155

R-7 rocket

as ICBM, 208

as satellite launch vehicle, 208

assembly and launch procedure, 250–251

first success of, 211

historical significance, 248

maiden flight, 208

Raketenflugplatz

location of, 25–26

translation and definition, 26

uses for, 25–27

Ray, North Dakota

elementary school, 23–24, 53, 235

location of, 16, 70

Mary born and raised in, 225

Mary leaves, 76, 78

Ray High School

diploma from, 70, 74, 183, 300n11

density experiment at, 199

economic conditions of, 22

Mary as valedictorian, 48, 69, 74

Mary’s freshman year at, 99

pregnant girls sent away, 102, 107

PTA scholarship from, 105

Red. See Morgan, G. Richard

Redstone rocket

America’s first satellite booster, 273–277

as ICBM, 180, 277

as satellite launch vehicle, 181

engine static tested at Santa Susanna Field Laboratory 236–240, 265

flight-tested at Cape Canaveral, 213

loaded with ballast, 147

North America Aviation designed and built, 174, 180

performance limitations, 172, 174

political ramifications, 147

propellants used in, 173

challenges with changing, 191–196, 199–200

contract requirements and benchmarks, 204–205

Mary’s name for, 218

Mary works on changing, 186–187, 190–200

specific impulse with alcohol, 173

required enhancements, 173, 174, 180, 181, 307n4

tank pressure limit, 208

used as booster for Jupiter C, 210

von Braun’s involvement with, 276, 296

Rocketdyne

declined to assist in this book, 297

descendent of North American Aviation, 14

Mary retired from, 284–285

subject of Robert Kraemer book, 189

Rocket Girl (play)

50th anniversary of Explorer 1 , 46

Ashley Stroupe’s comments on, 8

Brian Brophy to direct, 206

Caltech premiere, 16, 46

genesis of, 15, 37

G. Richard Morgan’s comment on, 207

marketing of, 45

Marneus, Shirley, agrees to produce, 45

media attention, 16

roadblocks to production, 46–47

unforeseen results of, 16, 39

Ruttle, Dan

aerospace engineer, 280

assists with research for this book, 298

builds liquid-fuel rocket with author, 280

Santa Su Bus, 229

Santa Susanna Field Laboratory (SSFL)

abbreviated SSFL, 224

author visits, 298

description of, 229, 231

geology of, 174, 175

hydyne tested at, 235–236

location of, 224–226

Mary visits, 229–236, 285–292

technicians poisoned at, 263–265

Sheinwold, Alfred

coworkers study, 154

Mary learns bridge from radio show, 101

Sherman, Amy

author’s babysitter, 136

older sister of Mary, 48, 52, 53, 59, 193

resettled in Southern California, 136

Sherman, Clarence

abusive nature, 50–51, 62–64

brother of Mary, 30

parental favoritism, 60, 243–244

Sherman, Elaine

has photo taken for first time, 55–56

mentioned in Hegstad e-mails, 268–269

studious nature of, 54, 57

younger sister of Mary, 20

attended school with, 53, 57

close relationship with, 20–21, 52, 54–56, 58–65, 69–70, 77–78, 244

Sherman, Michael

agrees to enroll Mary in school, 20

as amateur veterinarian, 241–242

father of Mary, 18–21

moves with family to California, 176

refuses to provide glasses for Mary, 61

Sherman, Michael, Jr.

abusive nature of, 50–51, 62–64

brother of Mary, 30

parental favoritism, 60, 243–244

served with US Army in WWII, 84

Sherman, Vernon

abusive nature of, 50–51, 62–64

brother of Mary, 30

parental favoritism, 60, 243–244

visits Mary in Philadelphia, 109, 301n6

Sherman farm

chores and farm work, 29, 52, 56, 77, 81, 244

crops grown, 32

description, 17–18, 51, 70, 225, 243

location of, 11, 70–74, 77

Mary born on, 11

Mary’s feelings toward, 69–70, 78, 85, 105–106, 193

Shimizu, Toru

assigned to Redstone propellant project, 196

early attempts at using UDMH, 208–209

former Manzanar internee, 197

given new propellant parameters, 204–205

MS in engineering from UCLA, 197

MUPP work, 199–212

naming new propellant, 218–219

removed from propellant project, 219

solving simultaneous nonlinear equations, 197–198, 295

UDMH and diethylenetriamine, 216–217

UDMH/DETA instability problem, 262

UDMH partners, 213–215

UDMH reconsidered, 212

Silverman, Jack

CHNOF ARS paper coauthor, 187

Kraemer refutes claims of, 190

lack of research information, 187

Mary’s supervisor, 188

NASA files requested, 189

Webber refutes claims of, 188–189

wife’s Wikipedia article, 187

Simi Valley

condor’s range includes, 286

geologic and human history of, 221–222

Santa Susanna Field Laboratory built near, 223

Space Race

America’s position in, 254

beginning of, 149, 254

coming of the, 22, 23

Explorer 1 launch, 275

Kindelberger’s comments on, 260

Sputnik 1

America’s reaction to, 253, 254

America’s reputation tarnished by, 12, 255, 278

launch date moved up, 248, 250

naming of, 279

von Braun’s reaction to, 254