ROCKET SCIENTIST KILLED IN PASADENA EXPLOSION screamed the headline of the Los Angeles Times.

John Parsons, a maverick rocketeer who helped transform the rocket from a derided sci-fi plotline into a reality, was at first mourned as a scientific prodigy.

But reporters soon uncovered a more shocking story: Parsons had been a devotee of black magic.

George Pendle re-creates the world of John Parsons in this dazzling portrait of prewar superstition, cold war paranoia, and futuristic possibility.

Fueled by childhood dreams of space flight, Parsons was a leader of the motley band of enthusiastic young men who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a cornerstone of the American space program.

But Parsons's wild imagination also led him into the occult- for if he could make rocketry a reality, why not magic? With a cast of characters including Howard Hughes, L.

Ron Hubbard, and Robert Heinlein, Strange Angel explores the unruly consequences of genius.

For more information about the title Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

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Author: George Pendle

Publisher: Harvest Books

Date: Feb. 6, 2006

List Price:

$15.00

Discount Price:

$9.03

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