The Timeline
March 4, 1933
FDR presidency begins
November 26, 1937
Rudolph’s daughter is born
1937
Werner von Braun and team are installed at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast, start developing ‘A’ rockets
Mrazek’s daughter born
March 14, 1939
World War II begins
September 1, 1939
October 3, 1942
A-4 rocket a success - traveled 120 miles and achieved an altitude of 50 miles, becoming the first man-made object to reach the atmosphere’s outer layer.
A project to halt the research was codenamed "Project Safehaven"; it was not initially targeted against the Soviet Union but addressed the concern that German scientists might emigrate and continue their research in countries that had remained neutral during the war
To avoid the complications involved with the emigration of German scientists, the CIOS was responsible for scouting and kidnapping high-profile individuals to block technological advancements in nations hostile to the US
1944-1948
A-4 Rockets go into production, first fired on Paris and London
September 1944
Nikki Kramer arrives to Dora-Mittelbau
Approx. December 1944
VB & Team is told to hide Technical data, select most 450 crucial people to rocket program and move to Bavaria
?
Mrazek’s son born
January 23, 1945
April 11, 1945
Liberation of Dora-Mittelbau, death of Nikki Kramer
Image: Liberation 1945, Sherman Capone Hart, © Concentration Camp Memorial Mittelbau-Dora
April 12, 1945
Truman presidency begins
Magnus von Braun, Wernher’s brother, was sent out to contact American troops
May 2, 1945
May 8, 1945
VE Day
Most of the rocket group was in American custody when the war ended for Germany
Major Staver urged government to move 100 of the 400 scientists in his custody to America to help with war in the pacific
May 22, 1945
Operation Paperclip begins
July 20, 1945
Scientists identified and interviews start, JIOA committee formed. Scientists surrender to the Americans.
Summer/Fall 1945
World War II ends
Sept 2, 1945
November 1945 to October 1946
Nuremberg Trials
Image: Raymond D’Addario
1946
Von Braun and team arrive in New Mexico and live/work at Fort Bliss for 4 years
President Truman officially approved Operation Paperclip and expanded it to include 1,000 German scientists under "temporary, limited military custody"
September 3, 1946
December 1946
American public is notified of Operation Paperclip and the scientists’ arrival in the U.S.
Families are also brought December 8, 1946, and periodic arrivals of more family groups continued until mid-1947
Cold War begins
March 12, 1947
Von Braun’s first daughter is born
December 8, 1948
Hoelzer’s first child born
Sometime between 1948-1950
The Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army designates Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as the Ordnance Rocket Center, its facility for rocket research and development
June 1, 1949
January 1, 1950
"Mars Project" Published
Rhe Fort Bliss missile development operation, including von Braun and his team of over 130 Paperclip members, was transfer to Redstone Arsenal
April 1, 1950
VB’s second daughter born
1952
January 20, 1953
Eisenhower presidency begins
Sol’s twins are born
Approx. 1954
Koelle’s daughter is born
Approx. October 1954
"Man in Space" airs for the first time
February 18, 1955
Koelle arrives to Huntsville
Beginning of Play/Scenes 1-3
April 6, 1955
Koelle meets Sol
Scene 4
Approx. April 7, 1955
The original Rocket Men become U.S. Citizens
Scene 4
April 15, 1955
Space Race begins
August 2, 1955
Eisenhower announces the Navy's Vanguard is selected over the Orbiter
Scene 4
August 9, 1955
Vietnam War begins
November 1, 1955
Koelle meets Sol in the library for the first time
Scene 5
Early 1957
Fourth of July party, Rudolph leaves the rocket men
Scene 8
July 4, 1957
Launch of Sputnik, beginning the Space Race
Scene 9
October 4, 1957
Sputnik 2 Launch
November 3, 1957
The Navy’s Vanguard Fails
Scene 9
December 1957
Launch of Explorer 1, Koelle learns the truth
Scene 9
January 1958
February 17, 1958
VB makes Time Magazine’s Man of the Year
July 29, 1958
NASA is formed
Scene 10
September 14, 1959
Astronauts on time magazine
Scene 11
Rudolph returns
Scene 11
Sometime between these two
Development of the Saturn V Rocket
1960s
The Rocket Men become part of NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center established
Scene 11
July 1, 1960
Development of the Saturn V Rocket
1960s
January 20, 1961
JFK presidency begins
Photo: George Silk, Life Pictures
JFK gives a speech in Congress committing to landing a man on the moon
Scene 12
June 7, 1962
1937
JFK is assassinated, LBJ presidency begins
Scene 14
Photo: Cecil Stoughton
Koelle and Sol meet for the last time, Koelle confronts VB and leaves to become a professor in Germany
Scene 15
1965
US officially enters the Vietnam war
Early 1965
Launch test referenced in Scene 15
Scene 15
1967
1969-1972
Continued Apollo Missions
January 1969
Apollo 8
January 20, 1969
Nixon presidency begins
Photo: Ollie Atkins-White House photographer
July 20, 1969
Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Final phone call between Koelle and VB
Scene 16
August 1969
US Space and Rocketry center opens
Von Braun receives the Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA, recognizing his contributions to the US space program
1970
1972
Von Braun leaves NASA
August 9, 1974
Nixon resigns, Ford presidency begins
Photo: Robert L Knudsen-White House Press Office
Vietnam War ends
April 30, 1975
Jul 17, 1975
Space Race ends
June 16, 1977
VB dies of cancer
1982
Rudolph is forced to relinquish his citizenship