Table Of ContentS
T
E S T E M TRAILBLAZER BIOS
M
T
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Have you ever built a cool science project? In middle A
I
L
school, Aprille Ericsson won second place in a science B
L
A
fair. She knew she wanted to keep creating amazing Z
E
science projects. As an adult, she became an engineer R
B
and works at NASA building spacecraft. I
O
S
Ericsson was one of the few girls in her middle school
who loved math and science. Years later, she became the
fi rst woman to receive a PhD in mechanical engineering
from Howard University. At NASA, she’s helped build
spacecraft that can map the moon, monitor climate A
E
change, or even bring soil and rocks back from Mars.
R
Learn how Ericsson’s passion for science has helped O
S
her pave the way for future engineers. P
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SSTTEEMM TRAILBLAZER BBIIOOSS N
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Aerospace Engineer Aprille Ericsson
A
Alternate Reality Game Designer Jane McGonigal
P
Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson R
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Computer Engineer Ruchi Sanghvi L
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Flickr CofoundGeern aentidc sW Eexbp Ceormt mJouannitnya CLr. eKaetlolery Caterina Fake ER AA EE RR OO SS PP AA CC EE
I
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Google Glass and Robotics Innovator Sebastian Thrun
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GoPro Inventor Nick Woodman SO EEENNNGGGIIINNNEEEEEERRR
iPod and Electronics Visionary Tony Fadell N
SpaceX and Tesla Motors Engineer Elon Musk
Theoretical Physicist Brian Greene
YouTube Founders Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim APRILLE ERICSSON
laura hamilton waxman
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STEM TRAILBLAZER BIOS
A E R O S P A C E
ENGINEER
APRILLE ERICSSON
LAURA HAMILTON WAXMAN
Lerner Publications
Minneapolis
The publisher wishes to thank Aprille Ericsson for providing some of the photos that
appear in this book.
Copyright © 2015 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
For reading levels and more information, look up this title at www.lernerbooks.com.
Content Consultant: John Weyrauch, Industrial Professor of Design, Aerospace Engineering and
Mechanics, University of Minnesota
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Waxman, Laura Hamilton.
Aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson / by Laura Hamilton Waxman.
pages cm. — (STEM trailblazer bios)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–4677–5793–5 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978–1–4677–6282–3 (eBook)
1. Ericsson, Aprille, 1963– 2. Aerospace engineers—United States—Biography—Juvenile
literature. 3. African American women aerospace engineers—United States—Biography—
Juvenile literature. I. Title.
TL540.E633W39 2015
629.4092—dc23 [B] 2014013767
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 – PC – 12/31/14
The images in this book are used with the permission of: © Carlos Davila/Photographer’s Choice/
Getty Images, p. 4; Courtesy of Aprille Ericsson, pp. 5, 8, 13, 20, 24; NASA/JSC PAO Web Team,
p. 7; © iStockphoto.com/DenisTangneyJr, p. 9; © OSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images, p. 10;
© iStockphoto.com/rabbit75_ist, p. 11; © Bettmann/CORBIS, p. 15; NASA/JSC PAO Web Team, p.
16; © Angus Osborn/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images, p. 17; NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center,
p. 18; NASA/Goddard/MIT/Brown, p. 21; NASA/Dana Berry/Skyworks Digital, p. 22; NASA, p. 25;
© Elena Olivo, p. 26.
Front cover: Courtesy of Aprille Ericsson.
Main body text set in Adrianna Regular 13/22. Typeface provided by Chank.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
Dreaming Big 4
CHAPTER 2
Working Hard 10
CHAPTER 3
Chasing the Dream 16
CHAPTER 4
Working at NASA 20
CHAPTER 5
Sharing the Dream 26
Timeline 29
Source Notes 30
Glossary 30
Further Information 31
Index 32
C Chhaapptteerr 11
Landing on
the moon was a
distant dream in the
early 1960s.
D D DRRREEEAAAMMMIIINNNGGG
BIG
I
n 1961, President John F. Kennedy made a bold promise. He
said that the United States would send an American to the
moon in the next decade. To some people, President Kennedy
seemed like a dreamer. They doubted that such an ambitious
goal could ever really be within reach.
4
Another dreamer was born two years later on April 1, 1963.
Her name was Aprille Joy Ericsson. Aprille grew up in a poor
neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. She lived with her mom
and two younger sisters in public housing. The government
provided this housing at a low rent.
Aprille’s family may not have had a lot of money, but they
had plenty of love. Aprille had big dreams for her life, and her
family supported her in everything she did.
Aprille plays
at the beach
in 1967.
5
One of Aprille’s dreams was to be an astronaut. In
first grade, she watched something amazing on TV. US
astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins
traveled to the moon on A pollo 11 . Seeing Kennedy’s dream
come true inspired Aprille. She wondered if maybe she could
help out on future space missions. But Aprille had other
dreams too, such as being an artist, a lawyer, or maybe even
a track star!
SPACE RACE
During Aprille’s childhood, the United States was
involved in an unofficial competition known as the
Space Race. It started in 1957 when the Soviet
Union (fifteen republics that included Russia)
launched the first spacecraft. Americans saw the
Soviets as their greatest competitors. In 1958,
the United States created N ASA, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA’s goal
was to not only keep up with the Soviets but to
surpass them.
6
Buzz Aldrin
poses next to the
American flag on the
surface of the moon
on July 20, 1969.
TURNING TO MATH AND SCIENCE
In middle school, Aprille fell in love with math and science.
This budding interest made her feel different from her peers.
Not many other girls or African Americans in her school had
a passion for those subjects. But that didn’t stop Aprille. She
became the only African American to be placed in advanced
classes in her school’s Special Progress program. She also
won second place in the school’s science fair.
Aprille worked hard in school, but she wasn’t just a good
student. She pursued interests outside the classroom too. She
played basketball, did gymnastics, and loved performing with
her school’s band.
Aprille enjoys
playing softball in
her free time. Here
she waits for a pitch
during a game
in 1996.
8
