She can look back on 65 years as a rocket engine specialist, with roles in a number of firms ranging from mathematician doing trajectory calculations, research analyst working on rocket propellants and turbojet studies, and propulsion engineer and manager of propulsion. When she does that, Yvonne Brill will tell you, "It was fun. I've always felt that I had contributed something to each of the places, something that they did not have before. It's exciting to think that the work you've done has a useful end result."
Now a consultant specializing in space propulsion systems and satellite technology, Ms. Brill has received the Kate Gleason Award for expanding the frontiers of space through innovations in rocket and jet propulsion, including the invention of the hydrazine resistojet engine used for geosynchronous and low-earth-orbit communication satellites; and for having the foresight to champion the hybrid electric mono-propellant rocket engine.
President Barack Obama awarded Yvonne C. Brill the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in the East Room of the White House on Washington October 21, 2011. Photo courtesy of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Established in 2011, the award honors the legacy of Kate Gleason, the first woman to be welcomed into ASME as a full member, and recognizes a female engineer who is a highly successful entrepreneur in a field of engineering or who has had a lifetime of achievement in the engineering profession. "I'm excited to receive this inaugural award," says Ms. Brill. "Kate Gleason was truly a pioneer. She just went about and did what she had to do. I've always felt that way too. I think I have her spirit."
Satellites stay in orbit longer thanks to Yvonne Brill's inventions of the hydrazine resistojet and the use of a single propellant.
Ms. Brill began her career at Douglas Aircraft on the West Coast in the mid-1940s. In those days there weren't many women working in rocketry for any corporation and, it is believed, she was the only woman in the United States who was actually doing rocket science. Eventually, she joined RCA Astro Electronics in the East. She also spent time at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and was with the International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) in London from 1986 until her retirement in 1991. Since retiring from INMARSAT, she has served as a member of many U.S. National Research Council committees that provide science and technology policy advice to the federal government. She is presently a member of the NRC Space Studies Board.
Her patented invention while at RCA, the electrothermal hydrazine thruster manufactured by the Aerojet Redmond Division, was initially flight proven in 1983 and is currently an industry standard. While at RCA she also managed the build, integration, and test of a Teflon solid propellant propulsion system for the RCA/Navy Nova spacecraft. Successful launch and utilization of the Nova satellite in May 1981 brought electric propulsion to an operational status in the United States.
Ms. Brill is the author or co-author of a number of publications and has provided numerous advanced technical seminars for various professional groups. She has encouraged young people to enter the engineering profession and has mentored women at all stages in their careers.
Among her many honors, Ms. Brill was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. She is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010 for her invention of the electrothermal hydrazine thruster and other space propulsion innovations.
"I now spend a good deal of my time nominating women for awards for which they're qualified, because they often get passed over," Ms. Brill says. "I encourage women to pursue engineering careers, because of the flexibility. There are just so many different fields of engineering than when I went to school."
Ms. Brill received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Manitoba in 1945 and her master's degree in chemistry from the University of Southern California in 1951.
I'm excited to receive this inaugural award. Kate Gleason was truly a pioneer. She just went about and did what she had to do. I've always felt that way too. I think I have her spirit.
Yvonne C. Brill
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