Thread by @ScienceVet2

One of the rarely sung heroes that got us to the moon, Mary Sherman Morgan. Responsible for the fuel that got us there.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sher…

Who, one might ask! You see, Werner von Braun and his, by Jupiter C days, considerable gang of engineers and scientists, well funded and much acclaimed were unable to come up with a fuel formulation that would eventually get us to the Moon.

Stumped and feeling the heat, the former Third Reich rocket engineer, began to scour the defense-contractor establishment for anyone that could solve the problem...which, as most of us know, displayed itself in exploding rockets just above launch pads, time after time.

At last, they came upon the basically invisible Mary Sherman Morgan, who, working as a defense contractor chemist, a woman of distinguished, but hidden talent and accomplishment throughout WWII and in the post-war world, was prepared to bail them out.

She came to assemble the team that developed "hydyne." This fuel was the salvation of the space program. This was the jump start that led to Saturn V!
Who was she?

1) fugitive from an abusive home.
2) a minimally educated chemist
3) a mother
4) a genius
5) likely autistic

Her career and accomplishments were discovered in a box, destined to be thrown out, trashed from the attic of the home where she died. Discovered by her son, who, along with everyone in her family, was completely unaware of this remarkable person's accomplishments...

...and contributions to all of mankind. He wrote a book, Rocket Girl" about his remarkable Mother. It seems that one of those first giant leaps for mankind was made by yet another incredible woman, Mary Sherman Morgan.

Look at the Moon tonight, dream about Mars and what will be, and in addition to all those we know, add Mary, who escaped from the prairies of the Midwest, who extended our reach for the stars.