I am simultaneously filled with joy and fury--joy to have learned this, and fury because this exceptional woman and her achievements (which were accomplished against two societal barriers) weren't touted far and wide. If she hasn't been already, Ms. Johnson should (at the very least) be commemorated on a postage stamp! Also:

This brings up something close to my heart. When I see photographs and videos of people at model rocket and model airplane events, or preparing full-size rockets for launch (or engaging in any technological activities), I don't see many non-white people, and among those I do see, there are few black people. (I miss Jonathan Dunbar's presence here.) That saddens me, because those are *human* activities, not things that are of consequence only to white people. Even the high levels of non-participation in such hobby activities by young black people make it less likely that they will pursue technological careers (one usually develops interests in what one is exposed to in youth). A mind is indeed a terrible thing to waste, and a mind that never had an opportunity to have its passions fired is a tragedy--which is why, when the opportunities come up, I drop "seeds of possible interest" in the paths of all young people whose paths I cross.

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

I have never thought in terms of legacies (if I take care of the necessities of the present properly, my legacy will take care of itself), but I do understand and appreciate your thought regarding that. Regarding your proposal:

Just out of sheer interest and a desire to see space flight become the same everyday reality that aviation has (which will facilitate more ambitious steps deeper into space), I would like to do this, and I greatly appreciate your offer! But I don't want to start something that I might not be able to finish for lack of energy (I am now being kept going by medical science, thanks to three clinic and hospital wound care center treatment sessions each week--if I stopped going, my Lymphedema [and now, veinous edema] and my perpetually-open leg wounds would soon cause my death, from multiple complications). Also--and I'm not trying to be either morbid or dramatic here, just realistic--I'm not sure if I can last another two or three years (Wernher von Braun's comment in the 1970s that "Planning in shorter time segments has its rewards" feels uncannily familiar). BUT:

I am *not* saying "No" to your offer, yet. I need to know what preparing this paperwork would entail (what all would need to be in it, how big a document it would be [a ballpark figure]), and what knowledge I would need to have in order to create it (I'm not an engineer). Also:

I agree--it's only APCP plus synthetic rubber and powdered aluminum that "earns" the mixture a TNT equivalence rating. :-) (Even with just the powdered aluminum left out, as with some of the French sounding rocket propellants, it might not have a TNT rating).

__________________
Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperba...an-form/8075185
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6122050
http://www.lulu.com/product/cd/what...of-2%29/6126511
All of my book proceeds go to the Northcote Heavy Horse Centre www.northcotehorses.com.
NAR #54895 SR

A journey of a million miles starts with the first step.

At our rocket club in the 70's minorities were rare but my photos show not zero. We were in an affluent neighborhood so we did not get gang members.

Jerry