Millions of people are reading the No. 1 best-seller and flocking to theaters to see "October Sky."
Based on the book originally entitled "Rocket Boys" by former NASA rocket scientist Homer Hickam, "October Sky" chronicles Hickam's childhood and his fascination with rocketry and the early space program.
But what about the "rocket girls?"
"When our pioneer ancestors opened up the American frontier, it took both women and men to do it. The same is true today for the new frontier of space," said Hickam, who retired from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in February 1998.
Case in point: Even though she refers to herself as "just one of the guys," NASA project manager Sherry Buschmann is one of the many women at the Marshall Center building a highway to space.
Buschmann's work in the Advanced Space Transportation Program at Marshall parallels her pointed creed: "If you're not walking on the edge, you're taking up too much space."
She and her team, which includes members from seven NASA centers, are partnering with industry to develop and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies, innovative launch systems and simplified operations to dramatically reduce the cost of access to space.
"If we can get launch costs down, the possibilities for space exploration and commercialization would be endless. I believe we can answer that challenge here at the Marshall Center," said Buschmann.
Affordably launching a vehicle to low-Earth orbit is only one of the challenges tackled by women engineers at Marshall. Leslie Curtis, project manager for space transportation technologies, is leading development of new space transfer technologies to make exploration of our universe more affordable and faster.
"Once a spacecraft gets to low-Earth orbit -- whether it's traveling to a comet, the Moon or another planet -- it will need some sort of transportation system other that the one that got it there," said Curtis.
One of the in-space transportation technologies Curtis' team is developing is an electrodynamic tether that will use the Earth's magnetic field to generate thrust.
"If we don't have to carry everything we need for in-space transportation, instead using what is already available in space, we can lower the weight lifted into orbit," said Curtis. "If we can lower the weight, we lower the launch costs."
Another woman paving the way for future space transportation is Susan Turner, project manager for X-37.
The X-37 would be the first flight demonstrator for Future X -- a representation of NASA's new, innovative business strategy to dramatically reduce the cost of space transportation. For the first time, NASA would be able to readily test and validate new, state-of-of-the-art space transportation technologies in flight.
"This project is about taking experimental, ground-tested technology to the next level: flight testing," said Turner. "Once the technology is proven, industry can take what we've learned and apply it to the spacecraft of the future."
The X-37, pending completion of ongoing negotiations, would be built by The Boeing Co. in Seal Beach, Calif. It would be the first experimental vehicle to fly in both orbital and reentry environments to test technologies in these harsh environments. It is planned to demonstrate 36 advanced airframe, propulsion and operations technologies that can support various spacecraft designs.
A major focus of the vehicle is to improve today's fragile and expensive-to-maintain spacecraft thermal protections systems. Knowledge and on-orbit experience gained through flight demonstrations could result in more robust thermal protection systems -- technology development that could be a significant factor in reducing space transportation costs.
Today at the Marshall Center the "rocket girls" join the "rocket boys" in getting the United States into space. "It will require all of us working together to explore, develop, and settle the solar system," said Hickam. "I am convinced that women will continue to play a vital and leading role in this great enterprise. That's why I dedicated my latest book, 'Back to the Moon,' to the women and men of NASA."
Note to Editors/News Directors: Interviews, photos and video supporting this release are available to media representatives by contacting June Malone of the Marshall Media Relations Office at (256) 544-0034. For profiles on the "rocket girls" in this release and profiles on additional "rocket girls" at the Marshall Center as well as an electronic version of this release or digital photos, visit Marshall's News Center on the Web:
For more information on the Advanced Space Transportation Program, visit its Web site: