was later called the “space race.” As one of 40 engineers in Lockheed’s Advanced Develop- ment Programs, what became known as the Skunk Works, the company’s top-secret think tank, she was the only woman on the team aside from the secretary. She was also the only American Indian. Much of her research and writing at the
Skunk Works remains classified, even today. “It is closed even to me,” laughs Willis Jenkins, an engineer in NASA’s Heliophysics Division, “even though I am an official at NASA.” Jenkins was assigned to research Ross’s career, as liaison to the U.S. Mint’s commemorative coin project. Jenkins notes, “I sought to place myself in her shoes by performing calculations to see how I would get a rocket in space. I marveled at the work that had been done to get a rocket outside the Earth’s atmosphere, which is a magnificent accomplishment. “I have an advantage of a calculator these
days versus the slide rule I used in the 1960s, similar to what Mary used working on prelim- inary design concepts for interplanetary space travel, manned and unmanned earth-orbiting flights, and the earliest studies of orbiting sat- ellites for both defense and civilian purposes.” As the American missile program matured,
Ross found herself immersed in researching and evaluating feasibility and performance of ballistic missiles and other defense systems. She also studied the distribution of pressure caused by ocean waves and how it affected submarine- launched vehicles. Space flight made use of missile advances originally developed for military purposes, like the Agena rocket. Ross
The successful docking attempt in space between the Agena rocket and the Gemini space capsule was a crucial step in the Apollo project.
helped develop operational requirements for the spacecraft, which later became a vital part of the Apollo program. Says Jenkins, “Mary worked on the Agena rocket orbital dynam- ics, calculating the transfer orbit as the rocket left the Earth’s atmosphere. Today’s engineer would use the computer program, MATLAB, and insert the parameter to determine when the rocket would reach its destination.” Over the years, Ross helped write NASA’s
Planetary Flight Handbook, the agency’s comprehensive guide to space travel. She worked on preliminary concepts for flights to Mars and Venus, laying the groundwork for missions that have not yet come to fruition. A California newspaper reporter who
interviewed Ross in 1961 wrote that she was “possibly the most influential Indian maid since Pocahontas” and noted that she was “making her mark in outer space.” She told the reporter, “I think of myself as applying mathematics in a fascinating field.” Another article at the time noted that Ross, who had yet to witness a rocket launch, thought wom- en would make “wonderful astronauts.” But she insisted, “I’d rather stay down here and analyze the data.”
“SPACE FLIGHT MADE USE OF MISSILE ADVANCES ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED FOR MILITARY PURPOSES, LIKE THE AGENA ROCKET. ROSS HELPED DEVELOP OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SPACECRAFT, WHICH LATER BECAME A VITAL PART OF THE APOLLO PROGRAM.”
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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 19
PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA
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