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An Incestuous Community
An Incestuous Community
Preface
Introduction: The Incestuous Community
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An Incestuous Community
Part I: Origins and Lineages
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The Founding Era: Explosives, JATO, and the Birth of an Industry
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The Thiokol Lineage: From Rubber Chemistry to the Shuttle and Beyond
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The Hercules Lineage: From Dynamite to Trident
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The Aerojet Lineage: From JATO to Rocketdyne
Part II: Strange Bedfellows
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Strange Bedfellow #1: Morton Salt and the Shuttle Boosters
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Strange Bedfellow #2: General Tire — Tires, Films, Airlines, and ICBMs
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Strange Bedfellows: The Rest of the Family
Part III: Contraction and Consolidation
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The Great Contraction: Seven to Two
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The ATK Era: When One Company Ate the Industry
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Two Survivors: The Duopoly and What Comes Next
References
Appendices
Appendix A: Corporate Genealogy Reference
Appendix B: Glossary
An Incestuous Community
How Salt, Tires, and Explosives Built America’s Strategic Missiles
Author
Troy Altus
Published
April 1, 2026
Introduction: The Incestuous Community
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The Founding Era: Explosives, JATO, and the Birth of an Industry