Sparkle Schoolhouse

FIFTY Study Page: Alabama — "It's Rocket Science"

Pat McCauley, a novice reporter for the Huntsville Times, is finally entrusted with a real scoop: an ex-Nazi scientist who is now working for the U.S. government wants to talk to the press. Pat is thrilled and makes arrangements to meet with the mysterious man, but he is not prepared for the scope of the conversation and what this means for the future of American rocket science.

Note: Though this is historical fiction and the characters have been developed to accommodate a story, their attributes and development may be useful as reference points and inspirations.

Alabama History - History of NASA and the space race - Biography of Werner von Braun

Alabama Geography - Map that shows Huntsville Alabama and Fort Bliss in Texas and Germany

Study Topics for “It Is Rocket Science” - Operation Paperclip and the enrolling of ex-Nazi scientists to work for U.S. - Use of the free press and public opinion to influence national policy.

Topics for Reflection

From a Child Development Perspective:

In this story, your child might learn that:

• Even when we dream of doing “big and significant” things in our lives, it is also good to remember that the small things count, too. Pat had imagined himself as a "crackerjack reporter" when he graduated from college, but he ended up making a big difference in the lives of many working at a small town newspaper. There are many ways to do service and have an impact in the world.

• At the same time, it is important to hold fast our dreams and our ambitions. The time did eventually come when Pat received all that he had ever wanted — "to be acknowledged and then trusted with an important lead" in newspaper reporting.

• There may be times in life when we are put in very complicated situations and we have to make a difficult moral decisions. There were many scientists who contributed to the invention of weapons that in the end may have caused some harm. These scientists may have felt they had no other choice or even that they were doing something useful for the advancement of civilization and technology. Sometimes life does not present us with an easy solution to our dilemmas. Von Braun in the story was one such character who had to face his conscience and make a decision that he could ultimately stand behind.

• Sometimes the very same item can be used either for a destructive or unhelpful purpose or for an exciting, service-oriented purpose. The rockets that were being engineered in the time of our story could have been used as weapons or as vehicles to explore outer space!

• Educating others can sometimes be the best way to sway public opinion — even more then using persuasion or might. If we can help people to understand the importance of a certain action, then we create a unified front where all can stand together out of principle. By encouraging Pat to write about the possibilities of exploring space and actually going to the moon, Von Braun was encouraging him to use his influence so that people could be educated and make a different choice about the rocket’s usefulness.

• Be open to possibility, and listen and learn from others. You never know what you will find out from the ideas of someone else and how this might change your views forever! While we cannot say for sure, Pat may, in fact, have had a hand in the first human being ever walking on the face of the moon.