Rise of the rocket girls : the women who propelled us, from missiles to the moon to Mars / Nathalia Holt.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-323) and index.

January 1958: Launch day -- Up, up, and away -- Headed west -- Rockets rising -- Miss Guided Missile -- Holding back -- Ninety days and ninety minutes -- Moonglow -- Analog overlords -- Planetary pull -- The last queen of outer space -- Men are from Mars -- Look like a girl.

In the 1940s, when the newly minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory needed quick-thinking mathematicians, it recruited an elite group of young women -- known as human computers -- who, with only pencil, paper, and brain power, helped bring about America's first ballistic missiles. But their hearts lay in the dream of space exploration, and when JPL became part of NASA, the computers helped send the first probes to the moon. Later, through their efforts, we launched the ships that showed us the contours of our solar system. For the first time, Nathalia Holt tells the stories of these women, who charted a course not only for the future of space exploration but also for the prospects of female scientists. Based on extensive research and interviews with the living members of the team, Rise of the Rocket Girls illuminates the role of women in science, both where we've been and the far reaches of space to which we're heading.