Roy Healy (1915-1968) was an American Rocket scientist. He supervised the installation of rocket launchers on fighter planes in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was the vice president of the

American Rocket Society The American Rocket Society (ARS) began its existence on , under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning, Nathan Schachner, and others. Pendray ...

. Healy Crater on the moon is named after him. Healy produced many pieces of academic literature relating to rocket science, as well as contributed information on rockets and jet propulsion that were valuable to the United States Military.

Early life

Healy began experimenting with rockets when he was 12 years old.Healy, Roy. "Roy Healy Papers." ''https://collections.si.edu/search/detail/ead_collection:sova-nasm-2017-0034?q=%22roy+healy%22&record=6&hlterm=%26quot%3Broy%2Bhealy%26quot%3B .'' Web. 11/6/22 He studied at Casey Jones Technical School.

Career

In 1938 he worked for Brewster Aviation Company and

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

. In 1943 he was hired by the Air Material Command at Wright Field to work on rockets. Working at Wright Field led to him being sent to military bases near Burma to work on installing rockets in planes and guide people on how to use them. From 1946-1953, Healy worked at the M.W. Kellogg Co. of Jersey City, N.J.. Healy's work with Kellogg consisted of working on Rocket Boosters, rocket test equipment, and the design of engines and boosters. In 1953, Healy began work at

North American Aviation North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included: the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F ...

, working on the rocket engine for the

Redstone Missile The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), it was in active service with the United States Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of W ...

. In 1955, Healy worked as a senior research engineer at the newly formed North American Rocketdyne division.

Achievements

Healy guided the North American Jupiter engine program. He contributed to many World War II rocket installations. In 1946, he was named vice president of the American Rocket Society. The American Rocket Society was a group committed to the research and development of jets and rockets. A 23.9 kilometer crater on the moon was named after Healy, now titled Healy Crater. He was a key contributor to research on rockets and jet propulsion throughout his life. Healy's research and insight provided valuable information on rockets and jet propulsion that could be used for military purposes.Lal, G. B. "Rocket Device Tests Planned for War Uses." ''The Washington Post,'' June 15, 1941, Web. 11/6/22

Notable Publications

As a rocket scientist, Roy Healy wrote articles and had them published in various publications. Many of them pertained to rocket power and use during World War II. * "Thrust of Powder Rocket Charges: Commercial Types Tested", published in 1941.Healy, Roy (November 1941). "Thrust of Powder Rocket Charges: Commercial Types Tested". ''Astronautics''. 11 (51): 6 – via ARC. Healy is describing data and research on different types of rockets. * "The Nazi Rocket Threat: Giant Projectiles Awaiting Invasion", published in 1944.Healy, Roy (March 1944). "The Nazi Rocket Threat: Giant Projectiles Awaiting Invasion". ''Astronautics''. 14 (57): 4 – via ARC. Healy writes to warn of the threat posed by Nazi rockets. He is arguing that the story posed about the Nazi's having rockets prepared and ready to launch is true, and any skepticism should be eliminated. * "Nazi Rocket Weapons: Jet Power Widely Used by Germany" published in 1943.Healy, Roy (December 1943). "Nazi Rocket Weapons: Jet Power Widely Used by Germany". ''Astronautics''. 13 (56): 3 – via ARC. The article is about different types of jet power and rockets used by Nazi Germany during World War II. * "The Black Powder Rocket Charge: Its Military Uses" published in 1942.Healy, Roy (October 1942). "The Black Powder Rocket Charge: Its Military Uses". ''Astronautics''. 12 (53): 3 – via ARC. Healy discusses types of rockets used during the first world war, and then progresses to discuss more modern types of rockets for the time period.

References

20th-century American engineers 1915 births 1968 deaths Rocket scientists Members of the American Rocket Society {{US-engineer-stub