Discover the Stars: 12 Fascinating and Fun Facts about Mary Golda Ross, the Pioneering Cherokee Female Engineer

1. Rocket Queen: Mary Golda Ross

Forget blasting off to infinity and beyond, Mary Golda Ross was launching rockets before Buzz Lightyear was even a twinkle in Pixar's eye: As the first known Native American female engineer and one of the 40 founding engineers of Lockheed Corporation's Skunk Works project, Ross contributed to the early concepts of orbiting satellites, crewed and uncrewed Earth-orbiting flights, and preliminary designs for Venus and Mars flyby missions, defying gravity and shattering glass ceilings along the way.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Aerospace Cowgirl: Mary Golda Ross

Rocketing through the glass ceiling like a proper space cowgirl, Mary Golda Ross unleashed a supernova of achievements that put even the Milky Way to shame: As the first Native aerospace engineer and a descendant of Cherokee Chief John Ross, she designed spacecraft for the Apollo program and conjured up preliminary concepts for interplanetary space travel, all after graduating from Northeastern State Teacher's College with a degree in mathematics in a town famed for the first women's institution of higher education west of the Mississippi.
Source => americanindianmagazine.org

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3. Skunk Works Star: Mary Golda Ross

Before she made a beeline for the stars, Mary Golda Ross took the wind beneath her wings quite literally, as an aerospace maestro for Earth and beyond: The first known Native American female engineer, Mary Golda Ross not only helped design the Agena Rocket program, but also contributed to interplanetary space travel, Earth-orbiting flights, and defense satellites. As a founding member of Lockheed Martin's legendary Skunk Works project team, she catapulted flyby missions to Venus and Mars and solved countless problems in the high-speed world of aeroelasticity.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Breaking Glass & Skunk Works: Mary Golda Ross

Before she helped skunks have a blast, she shattered the glass: Mary Golda Ross, the first woman engineer at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, was a key player in founding their top-secret think tank, aptly named "Skunk Works." Her work focused on ballistic missiles, satellites, and the successful launch of the Agena rocket, but there's no proof she tinkered with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Source => woc.aises.org

5. Sioux-pernaturally Empowering: Mary Golda Ross

Ready for a Sioux-pernaturally uplifting tale from the engineering universe? In a land not so far away, a powerhouse Native American mathematician and engineer knew a thing or two about breaking barriers and totem-ly rocking it in the world of STEM: Meet Mary Golda Ross, who actively championed for Native Americans and women to pursue careers in STEM by participating in laudable organizations like the Society of Women Engineers, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and the Council of Energy Resource Tribes. In her honor, the Mary G. Ross scholarship was launched in 1992 to provide a finan-she-ale helping hand to aspiring young female engineers in their educational endeavors.
Source => fortune.com

6. Rocket Science and Rare Feathers: Mary Golda Ross

While Mary Golda Ross may have been "sky-high" on innovation, she was certainly no "air head": As the first Native American aerospace engineer, she made monumental contributions to interplanetary space travel, flyby missions to Mars and Venus, and both defense and civilian orbiting satellites, ultimately gifting $400,000 to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian to preserve her incredible legacy.
Source => amightygirl.com

7. Birds, Aerospace, and Mary Golda Ross

Whoever said rocket science isn't for the birds never met Mary Golda Ross: a bird of a rare feather who not only built a nest in the aerospace industry but soared high enough to become the first known Native American woman engineer. Leaving math whizzes and space enthusiasts starstruck, Ross played an instrumental role in designing top-secret projects such as the Polaris missile and Agena launch vehicle, and her legacy lives on in the trailblazing technologies she helped hatch, as well as the Native students she inspired.
Source => airandspace.si.edu

8. Glass-Ceiling Rocketeer: Mary Golda Ross

Blasting through glass ceilings and rocketing past the stars: Mary Golda Ross was the first Native American aerospace engineer and the lone woman among the trailblazing team that designed early orbiting satellites for both defense and civilian use, even laying the groundwork for galactic adventures to Mars and Venus.
Source => americanindianmagazine.org

9. Couturier of Aerospace Engineering: Mary Golda Ross

Who said rocket science can't be fashionable and inclusive? Mary Golda Ross was the trailblazing STEM-sational couturier stitching together diversity and aerospace engineering like a stylish space suit: As a charter member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and active participant in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Ross dedicated her life to mentoring and supporting women and Native students in the world of engineering, even funding scholarships and serving on the SWE national leadership board. Talk about a rocket-fueled role model!
Source => airandspace.si.edu

10. Intergalactic Indigenous Spirit: Mary Golda Ross

Blast off to another realm, where the planets align for laughter, stardust, and some indigenous spirit at the engineering helm: Mary G. Ross, the first American Indian woman engineer, defied gravity and gender barriers, contributing to space missions to Mars, Venus, and beyond—leaving a legacy of inspiration and a scholarship for future female engineers in her stardust trail.
Source => alltogether.swe.org

11. Chuck Norris vs. Mary Golda Ross

Some say only Chuck Norris can count the stars, but Mary Golda Ross's calculations could give him a run for his money: Ross was not only the sole female founding engineer at Lockheed's Skunk Works in 1952, but she also co-authored NASA's Planetary Flight Handbook, devised early satellite and missile concepts, and helped set the stage for the Apollo program, all before retiring to inspire future generations of women and Native American youths to reach for the stars in STEM fields.
Source => nationalww2museum.org

12. Sky-High Cherokee Heroine: Mary Golda Ross

Like an aerospace variety show packed into a single Cherokee heroine, Mary Golda Ross could gracefully juggle physics, engineering, and secret missions, all while breaking glass ceilings to the sound of rocket engines: As a remarkable female engineer, Ross contributed immensely to the US space program working on top-secret projects such as the development of the Agena spacecraft, which played a crucial role during the Cold War and the Apollo program, ultimately leaving a legacy of diversity and determination.
Source => shop.visitcherokeenation.com