Mary Sherman Morgan grew up loving science, especially chemistry, and was determined to pursue a career that would ignite that passion. But it wasn't easy.

People thought only men could be scientists. Never giving up or giving in, Mary broke barriers and became America's first female rocket scientist. It was Mary Sherman Morgan who developed the fuel that launched the first US satellite into space.

Suzanne Slade, an author as well as an engineer who worked on rockets, pays tribute to this little-known innovator by deeply rooting her story in symbols, numbers, and equations. Hers is a story that will blast off into the hearts of budding scientists.