The threat of missile attacks has been dominating the headlines these days with the belligerent intimidations from North Korea and fears of Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East. The US, as a country, has it in its interest to protect itself from harm.

I had a bachelor of science in physics. When I got tired of living at the edge of poverty, I sought work. Scanning The New York Times, I chanced upon an ad from Aerojet General Corporation. After I telephoned for a conference, Dr. Werner Kirschner, the manager of the Polaris missile development program in Sacramento, California, interviewed me. Later, I learned that Dr. Kirschner was a Polish fighter pilot during World War II. He fought with the RAF against the Nazis.

The interview included technical questions, and I knew nothing about rockets and the like. The job was urgent, so I was hired on the spot. It was my first offer of employment as an engineer. I was thrilled when I was assigned to the advanced design group for development of solid-propellant booster rockets.

My new journey was a whirlwind. I reported to the downtown office on my first day. I was whisked to the solid rocket plant where I completed security forms and reported to work. I did not know then that I would be spending half of my working life in national defense. My duties encompassed data analysis taken from the firing of small rockets using candidate solid propellants. The chemists would change the mix or the manufacturing process, and we would measure the pressure of the gaseous propellant from the nozzle or the thrust via horizontal load cells to achieve the highest specific impulse.

There were times when rocket testing lit up the sky. I saw government-sensitive movies about a quiet ocean and a rocket emerging from the depths, coming to life out of nowhere. The big missile gradually accelerated out of view to become a distant dot beyond the far horizon. This is a part of the American missile defense system.

I never believed the United States would ever use these behemoths. I never believed the Soviets would give us reason to use them. Stalin and Khrushchev were diabolical but not stupid. But times are changing now. Then, it was only the missile. Now, there are ballistic missiles launched on a suborbital flight trajectory, unlike cruise missiles that are aerodynamically guided in powered flight. It only makes sense to create something that can counter it. That is where anti-ballistic missile technology enters the picture.

The advancement and innovation did not end there. We now have advanced missile defense radar systems that enhance our ability to detect air and surface targets, along with ballistic missile threats.

If you want to know more about my time in the defense industry, leave a comment below or you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. Grab a copy of From Brooklyn New York To Brookline Massachusetts now!

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