Sex and Rockets

Rocket pioneer, occultist, and counterculture icon—Jack Parsons and the explosive intersection of science, sex, and magic. Sex and Rockets by John Carter is the definitive biography of John Whiteside “Jack” Parsons—rocket-fuel innovator, co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and one of the most controversial figures in twentieth-century American science. By day, Parsons helped develop the solid rocket technology that powered early U.S. missile programs and made space travel possible. By night, he was a devoted practitioner of Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic occultism, conducting ritual experiments in Pasadena that drew writers, bohemians, and future cultural icons into his orbit. Moving between wartime aerospace laboratories, Southern California occult circles, and the emerging world of science fiction, Carter reconstructs Parsons’ life as a convergence of scientific innovation and esoteric ambition. The book traces his collaborations with figures such as L. Ron Hubbard, his involvement in ritual magic and alternative religion, and the mysterious explosion that ended his life in 1952—an event still debated by historians and researchers. Extensively researched and widely cited, Sex and Rockets remains the most comprehensive account of Parsons’ life and influence on modern rocketry, occult history, and mid-century counterculture. This paperback edition includes additional photographs and an afterword exploring Parsons’ legacy and cultural afterlife, including renewed interest sparked by film, television, and aerospace history. A foundational title for readers of science history, occult studies, biography, and the intersection of technology and counterculture. "One of the best books of the year." The Anomalist