Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Roger Rasmussen was an electrical engineer and member of the Special Engineer Detachment at Los Alamos.

Born in Mason City, Iowa, Rasmussen enlisted in the Army during World War II and was assigned to the Special Engineer Detachment at Los Alamos. He witnessed the Trinity test, which he vividly recalled in his 2015 interview with AHF.

After the war, Rasmussen had a long career at the Los Alamos laboratory. He was married to Manhattan Project staff member Jane Rasmussen; they met at Los Alamos during the war.

Rasmussen died in Los Alamos in 2017. For more information about his life, see this obituary and AHF’s in memoriam.

Photo courtesy of Mary Kavanagh.

Roger Rasmussen’s Timeline
1920 Nov 13th Born in Mason City, Iowa.

1942 Enlisted in the Army.

1945 Jan Assigned to the Special Engineer Detachment at Los Alamos.

1945 Jul 16th Witnessed the Trinity test.

19461982 Worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

2017 May 4th Passed away in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Related Profiles

H. C. Fistere

Oak Ridge, TN

H. C. Fistere worked for the Watson-Flagg Engineering Company.

R. Menges

B Reactor/100 Area

Menges was an Area Engineer and Area Supervisor at the Hanford Engineer Works. He was in the US Navy (USNR) until June of 1943 when he was injured in an explosion on his destroyer.

Jane Heydorn

Los Alamos, NM

Jane Heydorn was a Manhattan Project WAC and electronics technician, who helped to develop bomb-testing equipment at Los Alamos.

A. L. DePeu

Oak Ridge, TN