The Rocket Lab: Maurice Zucrow, Purdue University, and America’s Race to Space focuses on the golden era of space exploration between 1946 and 1966, specifically the life and times of Purdue University’s Dr. Maurice J. Zucrow, a pioneering teacher and researcher in aerospace engineering. Zucrow taught America’s first university course in jet and rocket propulsion, wrote the field’s first textbook, and established the country’s first educational Rocket Lab. He was part of a small circle of innovators who transformed Purdue into the country’s largest engineering university, which became a cradle of astronauts. Taking a chronological and thematic approach, The Rocket Lab weaves between the local and national, drawing in rival universities, especially Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Caltech. Also covered is Zucrow’s role in the national project system of research and development through World War II and the Cold War. At Aerojet, he was one of the country’s original project engineers, dedicated to scientific-technical expertise and the stepwise approach. He made vanguard power plant contributions to the Northrop Flying Wing, as well as the Corporal , Nike , and Atlas missiles, among others. Zucrow’s work in propulsion helped to improve the country’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and space launchers, and as a teacher, he educated the first generation of aerospace engineers. This book elevates Zucrow and the central role he played in getting the United States to space. " The Rocket Lab captures the excitement and optimism of the Apollo era when, as college students, we were able to study under the great pioneers, while eagerly looking forward to our own opportunities to be involved in the exploration of space." — Jerry Ross , NASA astronaut and Purdue University alumnus "This unique book tells the tale of Purdue's emergence as a top engineering school, centered on Maurice Zucrow, its first professor of jet propulsion, and leaders like Frederick L. Hovde and R. B. Stewart, all of whom made remarkable contributions to US national security." — Robert L. Strickler , Purdue University Distinguished Engineering Alumnus and former Congressional Science Fellow "Smith deepens our understanding of the history of rocket science and the technological labors that make iconic moments possible. This book is a tour de force that describes and explains Maurice Zucrow's life and endeavors—as well as the role of a pivotal midwestern institution." — Nicholas Michael Sambaluk , associate professor, Air Force Cyber College (Air War College), and author of The Other Space Race: Eisenhower and the Quest for Aerospace Security "Readers may find this new book has some fascinating looks at events in space history that are rarely told through this lens." — Quest: The History of Spaceflight " The Rocket Lab is still a highly impressive work of archival and oral history research. It succeeds when it sets aside celebrating school spirit and zooms out to consider how Zucrow and his alma mater fit into larger stories, analyzing the impact of America's obsession with the "project" and how Purdue competed with institutions like Caltech and MIT to shape America?s early space effort." — Technology and Culture Michael G. Smith is professor of history at Purdue University, where he has taught Russian history and aerospace history since 1996. He is the author of Rockets and Revolution: A Cultural History of Early Spaceflight and Language and Power in the Creation of the USSR, 1917–1953 .