Mary G Ross

First Native American female engineer who pioneered contributions to aerospace technology and interplanetary travel.

Mary Golda Ross (1908–2008) broke barriers as the first Native American (Cherokee) female engineer and a key figure in early NASA space programs. Her work on orbital mechanics and rocket systems laid the foundation for crewed spaceflight and planetary exploration.

Ross joined Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Program (Skunk Works) in 1942, where she specialized in aerospace engineering. She contributed to the Agena rocket project, critical for lunar missions, and co-authored NASA’s Planetary Flight Handbook, a blueprint for Mars and Venus expeditions. Her expertise in thermodynamics and celestial navigation shaped the future of interstellar travel.

A champion of STEM education for Indigenous communities, Ross advocated for diversity in engineering. The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian honors her legacy as a trailblazer who merged traditional Cherokee knowledge with cutting-edge science.

Discover her story in the documentary Hidden Figures: Native American Edition (IMDb link).