NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was established on July 29, 1958. This event did not occur in the text, however, it is worth mentioning because JPL was integrated into NASA later in December. Because of the connection with Parsons' legacy this date is important.

John Whiteside Parsons died on June 17, 1952, at the age of 37, in a home laboratory explosion in Pasadena, California. The death was officially ruled an accident, but many of his associates suspected suicide or murder. This event marked the end of Parsons' life and career, though his contributions to rocketry and occultism continue to be recognized.

Parsons marries Marjorie Cameron on October 19, 1946, just four days after his divorce from Helen Northrup was finalized, with Forman serving as their witness. This marks a new chapter in Parsons' personal life and his continued involvement in occultism and esotericism.

In March 1942, the Aerojet Engineering Corporation was formed by Parsons, Forman, Malina, von Kármán, and Summerfield to produce and sell JATO engines to the United States Army Air Corps. This marked a significant step in the development of rocket technology for military applications during World War II.

In early 1942, the military ordered a flight test using liquid rather than solid fuel. Upon the United States' entry into the Second World War in December 1941, the Group realized they could be drafted directly into military service if they failed to provide viable JATO technology for the military.

By June 1939, Frank Malina approached the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee on Army Air Corps Research to request funding for research into what they referred to as "jet propulsion", a term chosen to avoid the stigma attached to rocketry. The military were interested in jet propulsion as a means of getting aircraft quickly airborne where there was insufficient room for a full-length runway, and gave the Rocket Research Group $1,000 to put together a proposal on the feasibility of Jet-Assisted Take Off (JATO) by June 1939, making Parsons et al. the first U.S. government-sanctioned rocket research group.

In 1934, Parsons, Edward Forman, and Frank Malina formed the Caltech-affiliated Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory (GALCIT) Rocket Research Group, with support by GALCIT chairman Theodore von Kármán. The group worked on Jet-Assisted Take Off (JATO) for the U.S. military, and founded Aerojet in 1942 to develop and sell JATO technology during World War 2. The GALCIT Rocket Research Group became JPL in 1943.

Marvel Whiteside Parsons, later known as John Whiteside Parsons, was born on October 2, 1914, at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California. This marks the beginning of the life of a pioneering rocket engineer, chemist, and occultist, who would later become a key figure in the development of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Aerojet Engineering Corporation.