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For other uses of "von Braun", see von Braun (disambiguation).
Dr. Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun stands at his desk in the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, in May 1964, with models of rockets developed and in progress. George C Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC the original home of NASA, is a lead center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion Shuttle external fuel Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U
Born March 23, 1912(1912-03-23)
Wirsitz, German Empire
Died June 16, 1977 (aged 65)
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Cause of death Cancer
Occupation German rocket engineer and designer. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Wyrzysk (former German Wirsitz) is a town in Poland with 5263 (2004 inhabitants situated in Piła County, Greater Poland Voivodeship The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Alexandria is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the
Spouse Maria Luise von Quistorp (1947–1977)

Dr. Maria Luise Freifrau von Braun ( Née von Quistorp; born 10 June 1928, Berlin) is the widow of rocketry pioneer Wernher von Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr ('Baron')[1] von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977), a German rocket physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. Freiherr, a German word is a title of Nobility of lower Peerage rank in the former Holy Roman Empire (in German Heiliges Römisches Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Wernher von Braun is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket scientist of the 20th century.

In his 20s and early 30s, von Braun was the central figure in Germany's pre-war rocket development program, responsible for the design and realization of the V-2 combat rocket during World War II. See also Vergeltungswaffe The V-2 rocket ( Vergeltungswaffe 2 was the first Ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the war, he and some of his rocket team were brought to the United States as part of the then secret Operation Overcast. Operation Paperclip (also Project Paperclip) was the code name for the O In 1955, ten years after entering the country, von Braun became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Article I section 8 clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization

Von Braun worked on the American intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program before joining NASA, where he served as director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program George C Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC the original home of NASA, is a lead center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion Shuttle external fuel The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's [2] He is generally regarded as the father of the United States space program, both for his technical and organizational skills, and for his public relations efforts on behalf of space flight. The Space Race was a competition of space exploration between the Soviet Union and the United States, which lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975 He received the 1975 National Medal of Science. The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in Science and Engineering who have made important

Contents

Biography

Early life

Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz (Wyrzysk), Province of Posen, German Empire. Wyrzysk (former German Wirsitz) is a town in Poland with 5263 (2004 inhabitants situated in Piła County, Greater Poland Voivodeship The Province of Posen (Provinz Posen Prowincja Poznańska was a province of Prussia from 1848-1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 the whole The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification He was born second of three sons. His father, the conservative civil servant Magnus Freiherr von Braun (1877–1972), although never a party politician, served as a Minister of Agriculture in the Federal Cabinet during the Weimar Republic. The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 His mother, Emmy von Quistorp (1886–1959) could trace ancestry through both her parents to medieval European royalty. A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. Generally the head of a royal family is a king or queen regnant Von Braun also had a younger brother, also named Magnus Freiherr von Braun, born in 1919. Magnus "Mac" Freiherr von Braun ( 10 May 1919 &ndash 21 June 2003) was a German chemical engineer Luftwaffe Upon Wernher von Braun's Lutheran confirmation, his mother gave him a telescope, and he discovered a passion for astronomy and the realm of outer space. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Confirmation is a Rite of initiation in many Christian Churches normally in the form of Laying on of hands and/or Anointing for Outer space, often simply called space, comprises the relatively empty regions of the Universe outside the escape velocities of Celestial bodies. When Wyrzysk was ceded to Poland in 1918, his family, like many other German families, moved. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. They settled in Berlin, where the 12-year-old von Braun, inspired by speed records established by Max Valier and Fritz von Opel,[3] caused a major disruption in a crowded street by firing off a toy wagon to which he had attached a number of fireworks. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Max Valier ( February 9, 1895 - May 17, 1930) was an Austrian rocketry pioneer Fritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel, ( May 4 1899 - April 8 1971) was the only child The youngster was taken into custody by the local police until his father came to collect him.

Starting in 1925 von Braun attended a boarding school at Ettersburg castle near Weimar where at first he did not do well in physics and mathematics. Ettersburg is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany. Weimar (ˈvaɪmaʁ is a City in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia (Thüringen north of the Thüringer Wald, In 1928 his parents moved him to the Hermann-Lietz-Internat (also a residential school) on the East Frisian North Sea island of Spiekeroog, where he acquired a copy of the book Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket into Interplanetary Space) by rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth. East Frisia or Eastern Friesland ( Low Saxon: Oostfreesland, German Ostfriesland) is a coastal region in the northwest of the The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. Spiekeroog is one of the East Frisian Islands, off the North Sea coast of Germany. Hermann Julius Oberth ( June 25, 1894 &ndash December 28, 1989) was a Austro-Hungarian -born German ( Transylvanian The idea of space travel had always fascinated von Braun, and from that point on he applied himself to physics and mathematics in order to pursue his interest in rocketry.

Starting in 1930, he attended the Technical University of Berlin, where he joined the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR, the "Spaceflight Society") and assisted Hermann Oberth in liquid-fueled rocket motor tests. The Technical University of Berlin ( Berlin Institute of Technology, TUB, TU Berlin, German Technische Universität Berlin) is located The Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR - "Spaceflight Society" was an association of amateur Rocket enthusiasts active in Germany from 1927 to 1933 Hermann Julius Oberth ( June 25, 1894 &ndash December 28, 1989) was a Austro-Hungarian -born German ( Transylvanian He also studied at ETH Zurich. Although he worked mainly on military rockets in his later years, space travel remained his primary interest.

German career

The Prussian rocketeer

Von Braun was working on his creative doctorate when the National Socialist German Workers Party took over Germany, and rocketry almost immediately became a national agenda. The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 An artillery captain, Walter Dornberger, arranged an Ordnance Department research grant for him, and von Braun then worked next to Dornberger's existing solid-fuel rocket test site at Kummersdorf. Major-General Dr Walter Robert Dornberger ( 6 September 1895 - 27 June 1980) was a German Army Artillery officer Kummersdorf is the name of an estate near Luckenwalde at, around 25km south of Berlin, in the Brandenburg region of Germany. He was awarded a doctorate in physics (aerospace engineering) on July 27, 1934 from the University of Berlin for a thesis titled About Combustion Tests; his doctoral advisor was Erich Schumann. Aerospace engineering is the branch of Engineering behind the design construction and science of Aircraft and Spacecraft. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For other universities in Berlin see List of Universities in Berlin. Erich Schumann ( 5 January 1898 &ndash 25 April 1985) was a German Physicist who specialized in acoustics and explosives [4] However, this thesis was only the public part of von Braun's work. His actual full thesis, Construction, Theoretical, and Experimental Solution to the Problem of the Liquid Propellant Rocket (dated April 16, 1934) was kept classified by the army, and was not published until 1960. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [5] By the end of 1934, his group had successfully launched two rockets that rose to heights of 2. 2 and 3. 5 kilometers. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand

At the time, Germany was highly interested in American physicist Robert H. Goddard's research. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Robert Hutchings Goddard, PhD ( October 5, 1882 &ndash August 10 1945 U Before 1939, German scientists occasionally contacted Goddard directly with technical questions. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Wernher von Braun used Goddard's plans from various journals and incorporated them into the building of the Aggregat 4 (A-4) series of rockets, better known as the V-2. The Aggregate series was a set of rocket designs developed in 1933&ndash1945 by a research program of Nazi Germany 's army [6] In 1963, von Braun reflected on the history of rocketry, and said of Goddard's work: "His rockets . . . may have been rather crude by present-day standards, but they blazed the trail and incorporated many features used in our most modern rockets and space vehicles. " [3] Goddard confirmed his work was used by von Braun when, after the war ended, Goddard inspected captured German V-2s, and recognized many components which he had invented.

There were no German rocket societies after the collapse of the VFR, and civilian rocket tests were forbidden by the new Nazi regime. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Only military development was allowed and to this end, a larger facility was erected at the village of Peenemünde in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea. Peenemünde (peːnəˈmʏndə is a village in the northeast of the German (Western part of the Usedom island The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. This location was chosen partly on the recommendation of von Braun's mother, who recalled her father's duck-hunting expeditions there. Dornberger became the military commander at Peenemünde, with von Braun as technical director. In collaboration with the Luftwaffe, the Peenemünde group developed liquid-fuel rocket engines for aircraft and jet-assisted takeoffs. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. JATO may also refer to the group Jews Against the Occupation. They also developed the long-range A-4 ballistic missile and the supersonic Wasserfall anti-aircraft missile. A ballistic missile is a Missile that follows a Sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 The Wasserfall Ferngelenkte Flakrakete ( Waterfall Remote-Controlled A-A Rocket, also known as Aggregat 5) was a World War II guided A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft

In November 1937 (other sources: December 1, 1932), von Braun joined the National Socialist German Workers Party. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 An Office of Military Government, United States document dated April 23, 1947 states that von Braun joined the Waffen-SS (Schutzstaffel) horseback riding school in 1933, then the National Socialist Party on May 1, 1937 and became an officer in the Waffen-SS from May 1940 until the end of the war. The Office of Military Government United States (OMGUS was the United States military-established Government created shortly after the end of hostilities in occupied Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron"

Amongst his comments about his NSDAP membership von Braun has said:

I was officially demanded to join the National Socialist Party. At this time (1937) I was already technical director of the Army Rocket Center at Peenemünde . . . My refusal to join the party would have meant that I would have to abandon the work of my life. Therefore, I decided to join. My membership in the party did not involve any political activities . . . in Spring 1940, one SS-Standartenführer (SS Colonel) Müller . Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in both the S . . looked me up in my office at Peenemünde and told me that Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler had sent him with the order to urge me to join the SS. was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ( 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945 was a Nazi German politician and head of the Schutzstaffel (SS. I called immediately on my military superior . . . Major-General W. Dornberger. He informed me that . . . if I wanted to continue our mutual work, I had no alternative but to join.

That claim has been often disputed because in 1940, the Waffen-SS had shown no interest in Peenemünde yet. Also, the assertion that persons in von Braun's position were pressured to join the Nazi party, let alone the SS, has been disputed. Braun claimed to have worn the SS uniform only once. [7]. He began as an Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) and was promoted three times by Himmler, the last time in June 1943 to SS-Sturmbannführer (Wehrmacht Major). Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party which was used by both the Sturmabteilung (SA and the Schutzstaffel Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945

Schematic of the A4/V2
Schematic of the A4/V2

On December 22, 1942, Adolf Hitler signed the order approving the production of the A-4 as a "vengeance weapon" and the group developed it to target London. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Following von Braun's July 7, 1943 presentation of a color movie showing an A-4 taking off, Hitler was so enthusiastic that he personally made him a professor shortly thereafter. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [8] In Germany and at this time, this was an absolutely unusual promotion for an engineer who was only 31 years old.

By now the British and Soviet intelligence agencies were aware of the rocket program and von Braun's team at Peenemünde. Over the nights of 17 and 18 August 1943 RAF Bomber Commands Operation Hydra despatched raids on the Peenemünde camp consisting of 596 aircraft and dropping 1,800 tons of explosives. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAF 's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968 See also Operation Crossbow Operation Hydra attacked the Peenemünde Army Research Center after midnight of 17 August/18 August 1943 and opened the [9] The facility was salvaged and most of the science team remained unharmed, however the raids killed von Braun's engine designer Walter Thiel and Chief Engineer Walther, and the rocket program was delayed. On November 1 1932 Dr Walter Thiel ( March 2 1910 - August 18 1943) was the third civilian hired by Walter Dornberger for German [10][11]

See also: Bombing of Peenemünde in World War II

The first combat A-4, renamed the V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe 2 "Retaliation/Vengeance Weapon 2") for propaganda purposes, was launched toward England on September 7, 1944, only 21 months after the project had been officially commissioned. See also Operation Crossbow Operation Hydra attacked the Peenemünde Army Research Center after midnight of 17 August/18 August 1943 and opened the See also Vergeltungswaffe The V-2 rocket ( Vergeltungswaffe 2 was the first Ballistic missile and first man-made object to achieve England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Von Braun's interest in rockets was specifically for the application of space travel, which led him to say on hearing the news from London: "The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet. " He described it as his "darkest day".

Slave labor

SS General Hans Kammler, who as an engineer had constructed several concentration camps including Auschwitz, had a reputation for brutality and had originated the idea of using concentration camp prisoners as slave laborers in the rocket program. General Dr Hans Friedrich Karl Franz Kammler ( August 26 1901 – May 1945? was a civil engineer and high-ranking officer of the SS. An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of Engineering. Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial "Auschwitz" redirects here For the town see Oświęcim Auschwitz-Birkenau () was the largest of Nazi Germany As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Arthur Rudolph, chief engineer of the V-2 rocket factory at Peenemünde, endorsed this idea in April 1943 when a labor shortage developed. Arthur Louis Hugo Rudolph (November 9 1906 – January 1 1996 was a rocket engineer for Nazi Germany who helped develop and produce the V-2 rocket. More people died building the V-2 rockets than were killed by it as a weapon. [12] Von Braun admitted visiting the plant at Mittelwerk on many occasions, and called conditions at the plant "repulsive", but claimed never to have witnessed any deaths or beatings, although it had become clear to him by 1944 that deaths had occurred. Central Works (German Mittelwerk) was the underground WWII rocket and aircraft factory in Germany that was operated by the government Central Works Ltd. [13] He denied ever having visited the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp itself. See also Nazi concentration camps Mittelbau-Dora (also Dora and Nordhausen-Dora) was a Nazi Germany labour camp that provided

Adam Cabala reported:

[. . . ] the German scientists led by Prof. Wernher von Braun also saw everything that went on every day. When they walked along the corridors, they saw the prisoners' drudgery, their exhausting work and their ordeal. During his frequent attendance in Dora, Prof. Wernher von Braun never once protested against this cruelty and brutality. [3]

and

On a little area beside the clinic shack you could see piles of prisoners every day who had not survived the workload and had been tortured to death by the vindictive guards. [. . . ] But Prof. Wernher von Braun just walked past them, so close that he almost touched the bodies.

On August 15, 1944, von Braun wrote a letter to Albin Sawatzki, manager of the V-2 production, admitting that he personally picked labor slaves from the Buchenwald concentration camp, who, he admitted 25 years later in an interview, had been in a "pitiful shape". Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Buchenwald concentration camp (German Konzentrationslager or 'KZ' Buchenwald) was a Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg (Etter Mountain near [2]

In Wernher von Braun: Crusader for Space numerous quotes from von Braun show he was aware of the conditions, but felt completely unable to change them. From a visit to Mittelwerk, von Braun is quoted by a friend:

It is hellish. My spontaneous reaction was to talk to one of the SS guards, only to be told with unmistakable harshness that I should mind my own business, or find myself in the same striped fatigues!. . . I realized that any attempt of reasoning on humane grounds would be utterly futile. (Page 44)

Arrest by the Nazi regime

According to André Sellier, a French historian and survivor of the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, Himmler had von Braun come to his Hochwald HQ in East Prussia sometime in February 1944. See also Nazi concentration camps Mittelbau-Dora (also Dora and Nordhausen-Dora) was a Nazi Germany labour camp that provided Hochwald is a municipality in the district of Dorneck in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part To increase his power-base within the Nazi régime, Heinrich Himmler was conspiring to use Kammler to wrest control of all German armament programs, including the V-2 program at Peenemünde. He therefore recommended that von Braun work more closely with Kammler to solve the problems of the V-2, but von Braun claimed to have replied that the problems were merely technical and he was confident that they would be solved with Dornberger's assistance.

Apparently von Braun had been under SD surveillance since October 1943. The Sicherheitsdienst (SD Security Service was primarily the Intelligence service of the SS and the NSDAP. A report stated that he and his colleagues Riedel and Gröttrup were said to have expressed regret at an engineer's house one evening that they were not working on a spaceship and that they felt the war was not going well; this was considered a "defeatist" attitude. Klaus Riedel ( August 2 1907 - August 4 Helmut Gröttrup (1916 – 1981 was a German electrical engineer and assistant of Wernher von Braun in the V-2 rocket -project A young female dentist had denounced them for their comments. Combined with Himmler's false charges that von Braun was a Communist sympathizer and had attempted to sabotage the V-2 program, and considering that von Braun was a qualified pilot who regularly piloted his government-provided airplane that might allow him to escape to England, this led to his arrest by the Gestapo. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany Kammler, highly dedicated to Himmler, is thought to have been instrumental in these activities.

The unsuspecting von Braun was detained on March 14 (or March 15)[14], 1944 and was taken to a Gestapo cell in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland), where he was imprisoned for two weeks without even knowing the charges against him. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was only through the Abwehr in Berlin that Dornberger was able to obtain von Braun's conditional release and Albert Speer, Reichsminister for Munitions and War Production, convinced Hitler to reinstate von Braun so that the V-2 program could continue. The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944 Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, commonly known as Albert Speer ( 19 March 1905 - 1 September 1981 was an Architect, author and for part of World Citing from the "Führerprotokoll" (the minutes of Hitler's meetings) dated May 13, 1944 in his memoirs, Speer later relayed what Hitler had finally conceded: "In the matter concerning B. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. I will guarantee you that he will be exempt from persecution as long as he is indispensable for you, in spite of the difficult general consequences this will have. "

Surrender to the Americans

Von Braun (with armcast) immediately after his surrender
Von Braun (with armcast) immediately after his surrender

The Soviet Army was about 160 km from Peenemünde in the spring of 1945 when von Braun assembled his planning staff and asked them to decide how and to whom they should surrender. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Peenemünde (peːnəˈmʏndə is a village in the northeast of the German (Western part of the Usedom island Afraid of Soviet cruelty to prisoners of war, von Braun and his staff decided to try to surrender to the Americans. Kammler had ordered relocation of von Braun's team into central Germany; however, a conflicting order from an army chief ordered them to join the army and fight. Deciding that Kammler's order was their best bet to defect to the Americans, von Braun fabricated documents and transported 500 of his affiliates to the area around Mittelwerk, where they resumed their work. For fear of their documents being destroyed by the SS, von Braun ordered the blueprints to be hidden in an abandoned mine shaft in the Harz mountain range. The Harz is a mountain range in central Germany It is the highest mountain chain in northern Germany occupying parts of the German states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt [15]

While on an official trip in March, von Braun suffered a complicated fracture of his left arm and shoulder when his driver fell asleep at the wheel. His injuries were serious but he insisted that his arm be set in a cast so he could leave the hospital. Due to this neglect of the injury he had to be hospitalized again a month later where his bones had to be re-broken and re-aligned. [15]

In April, as the allied forces advanced deeper into Germany, Kammler ordered the science team to be moved by train into the town Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps where they were closely guarded by the SS with orders to execute the team if they were about to fall into enemy hands. Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The Northern Limestone Alps ( German: Nördliche Kalkalpen) are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located However, von Braun managed to convince the SS Major Kummer to order the dispersion of the group into nearby villages so that they would not be an easy target for U. S. bombers. [15]

On May 2, 1945, upon finding an American private from the U. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar S. 44th Infantry Division, von Braun's brother and fellow rocket engineer, Magnus, approached the soldier on a bicycle, calling out in broken English, "My name is Magnus von Braun. The 44th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender. "[16]

The American high command was well aware of how important their catch was: von Braun had been at the top of the Black List, the code name for the list of German scientists and engineers targeted for immediate interrogation by U. S. military experts. On June 19, 1945, two days before the scheduled handover of the area to the Soviets, US Army Major Robert B. Staver, Chief of the Jet Propulsion Section of the Research and Intelligence Branch of the US Army Ordnance in London, and Lt Col R. L. Williams took von Braun and his department chiefs by jeep from Garmisch to Munich. The group was flown to Nordhausen, and was evacuated 40 miles southwest to Witzenhausen, a small town in the American Zone, the next day. Nordhausen is a City at the southern edge of the Harz mountains in the state of Thuringia, Germany. Witzenhausen is a town in the district of Werra-Meißner, in Hesse, Germany. The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative [17] Von Braun was subsequently recruited to the U. S. under Operation Overcast. Operation Paperclip (also Project Paperclip) was the code name for the O

American career

U. S. Army career

On June 20, 1945, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull approved the transfer of von Braun and his specialists to America; however this was not announced to the public until October 1, 1945. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Cordell Hull ( October 2, 1871 &ndash July 23, 1955) was an American politician from the U Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar [18] Since the paperwork of those Germans selected for transfer to the United States was indicated by paperclips, the transfer of von Braun and his colleagues became known as Operation Paperclip, an operation that resulted in the employment of many German scientists by the U. Operation Paperclip (also Project Paperclip) was the code name for the O S. Army. [19]

The first seven technicians arrived in the United States at New Castle Army Air Field, just south of Wilmington, Delaware, on September 20, 1945. New Castle Airport, also known as the New Castle County Airport, is a public Airport located in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar They were then flown to Boston and taken by boat to the Army Intelligence Service post at Fort Strong in Boston Harbor. Fort Strong (1870 - 1960s is located on Long Island in Boston Harbor. Later, with the exception of von Braun, the men were transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland to sort out the Peenemünde documents. Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen Maryland (in Harford County) These would enable the scientists to continue their rocketry experiments.

Finally, von Braun and his remaining Peenemünde staff (see List of German rocket scientists in the United States) were transferred to their new home at Fort Bliss, Texas, a large Army installation just north of El Paso. The following lists contain names of Scientists and technical personnel specializing in Rocketry who originally came from Germany but spent most of their working Fort Bliss is a United States Army Military installation of approximately -- the second largest in the Army behind the adjacent White Sands Missile While there, they trained military, industrial and university personnel in the intricacies of rockets and guided missiles. As part of the Hermes project they helped to refurbish, assemble and launch a number of V-2s that had been shipped from Germany to the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. The Hermes project (November 20 1944-December 31 1954 White Sands Missile Range (WSMR is a Rocket range of almost area the largest military installation in the United States New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. They also continued to study the future potential of rockets for military and research applications. Since they were not permitted to leave Fort Bliss without military escort, von Braun and his colleagues began to refer to themselves only half-jokingly as "PoPs", "Prisoners of Peace".

A portrait of Maria von Braun, wife of Wernher von Braun.
A portrait of Maria von Braun, wife of Wernher von Braun.

During his stay at Fort Bliss, von Braun mailed a marriage proposal to 18-year-old Maria Luise von Quistorp, his cousin on his mother's side. Maria Luise Freifrau von Braun ( Née von Quistorp; born 10 June 1928, Berlin) is the widow of rocketry pioneer Wernher von On March 1, 1947, having received permission to go back to Germany and return with his bride, he married her in a Lutheran church in Landshut, Germany. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany both belonging to Eastern and Southern Bavaria He and his bride and his father and mother returned to New York on March 26, 1947. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On 9 December 1948, the von Brauns' first daughter, Iris Careen, was born at Fort Bliss Army Hospital. The von Brauns eventually had two more children, Margrit Cécile on May 8, 1952 and Peter Constantine on June 2, 1960. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On April 15, 1955, von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born

In 1950, at the start of the Korean War, von Braun and his team were transferred to Huntsville, Alabama, his home for the next twenty years. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U Between 1950 and 1956, von Braun led the Army's rocket development team at Redstone Arsenal, resulting in the Redstone rocket, which was used for the first live nuclear ballistic missile tests conducted by the United States. Redstone Arsenal is a US Army post and a Census-designated place (CDP located next to the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama First launched in 1953 the American Redstone Rocket (Redstone missile was a direct descendant of the German V-2. A ballistic missile is a Missile that follows a Sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead to a predetermined target

As director of the Development Operations Division of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), von Braun, with his team, then developed the Jupiter-C, a modified Redstone rocket. The Jupiter-C was a type of Sounding rocket used for three Sub-orbital spaceflights conducted in 1956 and 1957 The Jupiter-C successfully launched the West's first satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. Explorer 1 (officially titled at NASA as satellite 1958 Alpha) was the first Earth Satellite of the United States, launched on February 1 Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This event signaled the birth of America's space program.

Despite the work on the Redstone rocket, the twelve years from 1945 to 1957 were probably some of the most frustrating for von Braun and his colleagues. In the Soviet Union, Sergei Korolev and his team of scientists and engineers plowed ahead with several new rocket designs and the Sputnik program, while the American government was not very interested in von Braun's work or views and only embarked on a very modest rocket-building program. Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov (often Transliterated as Sergei Korolev) (Серге́й Па́влович Королёв Сергій Павлович Корольов In the meantime, the press tended to dwell on von Braun's past as a member of the SS and the slave labor used to build his V-2 rockets. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another

Popular concepts for a human presence in space

Repeating the pattern he had established during his earlier career in Germany, von Braun – while directing military rocket development in the real world – continued to entertain his engineer-scientist's dream of a future world in which rockets would be used for space exploration. History First orbital flights The first successful orbital launch was of the Soviet unmanned Sputnik However, instead of risking being sacked, he now was increasingly in a position to popularize these ideas. The May 14, 1950 headline of The Huntsville Times ("Dr. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Huntsville Times is the daily morning Newspaper of record for the city of Huntsville Alabama and its surrounding areas von Braun Says Rocket Flights Possible to Moon") might have marked the beginning of these efforts. In 1952, von Braun first published his concept of a manned space station in a Collier's Weekly magazine series of articles entitled Man Will Conquer Space Soon! These articles were illustrated by the space artist Chesley Bonestell and were influential in spreading his ideas. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A space station is an artificial structure designed for Humans to live in Outer space. Collier's Weekly was an American Magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957 Man Will Conquer Space Soon! was the title of a famous series of 1950s magazine articles in Collier's detailing Wernher von Braun 's plans for manned spaceflight Chesley Bonestell ( 1 January 1888 &ndash 11 june 1986) was a painter designer and illustrator Frequently von Braun worked with fellow German-born space advocate and science writer Willy Ley to publish his concepts which, unsurprisingly, were heavy on the engineering side and anticipated many technical aspects of space flight that later became reality. Willy Ley was a German-American science writer and space advocate who helped popularize rocketry and spaceflight in Germany and the United States.

The space station (to be constructed using rockets with recoverable and reusable ascent stages) would be a toroid structure, with a diameter of 250 feet (76 m), would spin around a central docking nave to provide artificial gravity, and would be assembled in a 1,075 miles (1,730 km) two-hour, high-inclination Earth orbit allowing observation of essentially every point on earth on at least a daily basis. The Stanford torus is a proposed design for a Space habitat capable of housing approximately 10000 to 140000 permanent residents Artificial gravity is a simulation of gravity in Outer space or Free-fall. (More than a decade later, the movie version of 2001: A Space Odyssey would draw heavily on this design concept in its visualization of the orbital space station. 2001 A Space Odyssey is a 1968 Science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C ) The ultimate purpose of the space station would be to provide an assembly platform for manned lunar expeditions.

Von Braun envisaged these expeditions as very large-scale undertakings, with a total of 50 astronauts travelling in three huge spacecraft (two for crew, one primarily for cargo), each 49 m long and 33 m in diameter and driven by a rectangular array of 30 jet propulsion engines. [20] Upon arrival, astronauts would establish a permanent lunar base in the Sinus Roris region by using the emptied cargo holds of their craft as shelters, and would explore their surroundings for eight weeks. The colonization of the Moon is the proposed establishment of permanent human communities on the Moon. Sinus Roris ( Latin for "Bay of Dew" is an extension of the northern edge of Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon. This would include a 400 km expedition in pressurized rovers to the Harpalus crater and the Mare Imbrium foothills. Harpalus is a young lunar Impact crater that lies on the Mare Frigoris, at the eastern edge of the Sinus Roris. Mare Imbrium, Latin for "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains" is a vast Lunar mare (mahr'-ay filling a basin on Earth 's Moon

Walt Disney and Wernher von Braun, shown in this 1954 photo holding a model of his passenger ship, collaborated on a series of three educational films.
Walt Disney and Wernher von Braun, shown in this 1954 photo holding a model of his passenger ship, collaborated on a series of three educational films. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter

At this time von Braun also worked out preliminary concepts for a manned Mars mission which used the space station as a staging point. His initial plans, published in The Mars Project (1952), had envisaged a fleet of ten spacecraft (each with a mass of 3,720 metric tons), three of them unmanned and each carrying one 200-ton winged lander[21] in addition to cargo, and nine crew vehicles transporting a total of 70 astronauts. Gigantic as this mission plan was, its engineering and astronautical parameters were thoroughly calculated. A later project was much more modest, using only one purely orbital cargo ship and one crewed craft. In each case, the expedition would use minimum-energy Hohmann transfer orbits for its trips to Mars and back to Earth. In Astronautics and Aerospace engineering, the Hohmann transfer orbit is an Orbital maneuver using two engine impulses which under standard assumptions

Before technically formalizing his thoughts on human spaceflight to Mars, von Braun had written a science fiction novel, set in 1980, on the subject. According to his biographer, Erik Bergaust, the manuscript was rejected by no less than 18 publishers. Von Braun later published small portions of this opus in magazines, to illustrate selected aspects of his Mars project popularizations. The complete manuscript did not appear as a printed book until December 2006. [22]

In the hope that its involvement would bring about greater public interest in the future of the space program, von Braun also began working with Walt Disney and the Disney studios as a technical director, initially for three television films about space exploration. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established The initial broadcast devoted to space exploration was Man in Space, which first went on air on March 9, 1955. Man In Space aired on March 9, 1955 and directed by legendary Disney animator Ward Kimball. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar)

Concepts for orbital warfare

Von Braun developed and published his space station concept during the very "coldest" time of the Cold War, when the U. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the S. government for which he worked put the containment of the Soviet Union above everything else. The fact that his space station – if armed with missiles that could be easily adapted from those already available at this time – would give the United States space superiority in both orbital and orbit-to-ground warfare did not escape him. Space weapons are Weapons used in Space warfare. They include weapons that can attack space systems in orbit (i Although von Braun took care to qualify such military applications as "particularly dreadful" in his popular writings, he elaborated on them in several of his books and articles. This much less peaceful aspect of von Braun's "drive for space" has recently been reviewed by Michael J. Neufeld from the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The National Air and Space Museum (NASM of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington D [23]

NASA career

Wernher von Braun walking with President Kennedy at Redstone Arsenal in 1963
Wernher von Braun walking with President Kennedy at Redstone Arsenal in 1963
Wernher von Braun, with the F-1 engines of the Saturn V first stage at the US Space and Rocket Center
Wernher von Braun, with the F-1 engines of the Saturn V first stage at the US Space and Rocket Center
Still with his rocket models, von Braun is pictured in his new office at NASA headquarters in 1970
Still with his rocket models, von Braun is pictured in his new office at NASA headquarters in 1970

The U.S. Navy had been tasked with building a rocket to lift satellites into orbit, but the resulting Vanguard rocket launch system was unreliable. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Redstone Arsenal is a US Army post and a Census-designated place (CDP located next to the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama The F-1 is a Rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne and used in the Saturn V. The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's The US Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville Alabama. The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first Launch vehicle the United States would use to place a Satellite into orbit In 1957, with the launch of Sputnik 1, there was a growing perception within the United States that America lagged behind the Soviet Union in the emerging Space Race. Sputnik 1 ( "Спутник-1", "Satellite-1" ПС-1 ( PS-1, i The Space Race was a competition of space exploration between the Soviet Union and the United States, which lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975 American authorities then chose to utilize von Braun and his German team's experience with missiles to create an orbital launch vehicle.

NASA was established by law on July 29, 1958. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. One day later, the 50th Redstone rocket was successfully launched from Johnston Atoll in the south Pacific as part of Operation Hardtack. Johnston Atoll is a 130 km² Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean at, about 1400 kilometers (750  nm) west of Hawaii. Operation Hardtack I & II was a series of 72 Nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1958 Two years later, NASA opened the new Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and the ABMA development team led by von Braun was transferred to NASA. George C Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC the original home of NASA, is a lead center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion Shuttle external fuel Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U In a face-to-face meeting with Herb York at the Pentagon, von Braun made it clear he would go to NASA only if development of the Saturn was allowed to continue. Herbert Frank York (Born in Rochester NY November 24 1921 is an accomplished American nuclear Physicist who has held numerous scientific and administrative [24] Presiding from July 1960 to February 1970, von Braun became the center's first Director.

The Marshall Center's first major program was the development of Saturn rockets to carry heavy payloads into and beyond Earth orbit. The Saturn family of Rockets were developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit and beyond In military aircraft or space exploration the payload is the carrying capacity of an aircraft or space ship including as Cargo, Munitions scientific instruments From this, the Apollo program for manned moon flights was developed. Wernher von Braun initially pushed for a flight engineering concept that called for an Earth orbit rendezvous technique (the approach he had argued for building his space station), but in 1962 he converted to the more risky lunar orbit rendezvous concept that was subsequently realized. Earth orbit rendezvous (EOR is a method that has been proposed for Space missions to the Moon. Lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR was the method used by the Apollo missions for Human spaceflight to the Moon. [25] His dream to help mankind set foot on the Moon became a reality on July 16, 1969 when a Marshall-developed Saturn V rocket launched the crew of Apollo 11 on its historic eight-day mission. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's Over the course of the program, Saturn V rockets enabled six teams of astronauts to reach the surface of the Moon.

During the late 1960s, von Braun played an instrumental role in the development of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The US Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville Alabama. The desk from which he guided America's entry in the Space Race remains on display there.

During the local summer of 1966/67, von Braun participated in a field trip to Antarctica, organized for him and several other members of top NASA management. [26] ([1] Photo of von Braun at South Pole]) The goal of the field trip was to determine whether the experience gained by US scientific and technological community during the exploration of Antarctic wastelands would be useful for the manned exploration of space. Von Braun was mainly interested in management of the scientific effort on Antarctic research stations, logistics, habitation and life support, and in using the barren Antarctic terrain like the glacial dry valleys to test the equipment that one day would be used to look for signs of life on Mars and other worlds.

In an internal memo dated January 16, 1969[27] von Braun had confirmed to his staff that he would stay on as a Center Director at Huntsville to head the Apollo Applications Program. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A few months later, on occasion of the first moon-landing, he publicly expressed his optimism that the Saturn V carrier system would continue to be developed, advocating manned missions to Mars in the 1980s [28]

However, on March 1, 1970, von Braun and his family relocated to Washington, D.C., when he was assigned the post of NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning at NASA Headquarters. The Saturn V (pronounced 'Saturn Five' popularly known as the Moon Rocket was a multistage liquid-fuel expendable Rocket used by NASA 's Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D After a series of conflicts associated with the truncation of the Apollo program, and facing severe budget constraints, von Braun retired from NASA on May 26, 1972. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Not only had it became evident by this time that his and NASA's visions for future U. S. space flight projects were incompatible; it was perhaps even more frustrating for him to see popular support for a continued presence of man in space wane dramatically once the goal to reach the moon had been accomplished.

Career after NASA

Wernher von Braun and William R. Lucas, the first and third Marshall Space Flight Center directors, viewing a Space Shuttle model, October 11, 1974
Wernher von Braun and William R. Lucas, the first and third Marshall Space Flight Center directors, viewing a Space Shuttle model, October 11, 1974

After leaving NASA, von Braun became Vice President for Engineering and Development at the aerospace company, Fairchild Industries in Germantown, Maryland on July 1, 1972. William R Lucas (born March 1, 1922) was the fourth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. George C Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC the original home of NASA, is a lead center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion Shuttle external fuel NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Fairchild was an aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale New York, Hagerstown Maryland and San Antonio Texas Germantown is an urbanized Census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland in the United States. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1973 a routine health check uncovered kidney cancer which during the following years could not be controlled by surgery. "Kidney Cancer" redirects here For Wilms' Tumor/Nephroblastoma see Wilms' tumor. [29] Von Braun continued his work to the degree possible, which included accepting invitations to speak at colleges and universities as he was eager to cultivate interest in human spaceflight and rocketry, particularly with students and a new generation of engineers. On one such visit in the spring of 1974 to Allegheny College, von Braun revealed a more personal, down-to-earth side of himself as a man in his early 60s, beyond the public persona most saw, including an all-too-human allergy to feather pillows and a subtle, if not humorous disdain for some rock music of the era. Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania which prides itself as being one of the oldest colleges in the

Von Braun helped establish and promote the National Space Institute, a precursor of the present-day National Space Society, in 1975, and became its first president and chairman. The National Space Institute was the original Space advocacy group established by the late Dr The National Space Society (NSS is an international nonprofit 501(c(3, educational and scientific organization specializing in Space advocacy. In 1976, he became scientific consultant to Lutz Kayser, the CEO of OTRAG, and a member of the Daimler-Benz board of directors. OTRAG ( German: Orbital Transport und Raketen AG, or Orbital Transport and Rockets Inc Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles motor vehicles and engines which was founded in 1926 However, his deteriorating condition forced him to retire from Fairchild on December 31, 1976. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. When the 1975 National Medal of Science was awarded to him in early 1977 he was hospitalized, and unable to attend the White House ceremony. The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in Science and Engineering who have made important Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays On June 16, 1977, Wernher von Braun died in Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 65. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Alexandria is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. Alexandria is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. [30] [31]

Published works

Quotations

Upon surrendering with his rocket team to the Americans in 1945: "We knew that we had created a new means of warfare, and the question as to what nation, to what victorious nation we were willing to entrust this brainchild of ours was a moral decision more than anything else. We wanted to see the world spared another conflict such as Germany had just been through, and we felt that only by surrendering such a weapon to people who are guided by the Bible could such an assurance to the world be best secured. "[32]

"All of man's scientific and engineering efforts will be in vain unless they are performed and utilized within a framework of ethical standards commensurate with the magnitude of the scope of the technological revolution. The more technology advances, the more fateful will be its impact on humanity. "

"If the world's ethical standards fail to rise with the advances of our technological revolution, the world will go to hell. Let us remember that in the horse-and-buggy days nobody got hurt if the coachman had a drink too many. In our times of high-powered automobiles, however, that same drink may be fatal. . . . "[33]

On Adolf Hitler: "I began to see the shape of the man – his brilliance, the tremendous force of personality. It gripped you somehow. But also you could see his flaw — he was wholly without scruples, a godless man who thought himself the only god, the only authority he needed. "[34]

"Religion and science are sisters: the one seeks knowledge of creation and the other of the Creator. " (attributed)

Honors

In February 1970, Huntsville, Alabama, honored Wernher von Braun's years of service with a series of events including a plaque in his honor. Pictured (left to right), his daughter Iris, wife Maria, U.S. Senator John Sparkman, Alabama Governor Albert Brewer, Dr. von Braun, son Peter, and daughter Margrit.
In February 1970, Huntsville, Alabama, honored Wernher von Braun's years of service with a series of events including a plaque in his honor. Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U Pictured (left to right), his daughter Iris, wife Maria, U. Maria Luise Freifrau von Braun ( Née von Quistorp; born 10 June 1928, Berlin) is the widow of rocketry pioneer Wernher von S. Senator John Sparkman, Alabama Governor Albert Brewer, Dr. John Jackson Sparkman ( December 20, 1899 &ndash November 16, 1985) was an American politician from the state of Alabama Albert Preston Brewer (born October 26, 1928) is an American Politician who was the governor of Alabama from May 1968 von Braun, son Peter, and daughter Margrit.

Posthumous recognition and critique

Grave of Wernher von Braun in Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)
Grave of Wernher von Braun in Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)

Cultural references

On film and television

Wernher von Braun has been featured in a number of movies and television shows or series about the Space Race:

In print media

In novels

In music

In computer games

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a title, translated as Baron, not a first or middle name. Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov (often Transliterated as Sergei Korolev) (Серге́й Па́влович Королёв Сергій Павлович Корольов Robert Hutchings Goddard, PhD ( October 5, 1882 &ndash August 10 1945 U Cousin coupleThis is a list of prominent individuals who have been romantically or maritally coupled with a Cousin, Niece, Nephew, Aunt Freiherr, a German word is a title of Nobility of lower Peerage rank in the former Holy Roman Empire (in German Heiliges Römisches Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin. Freiherr, a German word is a title of Nobility of lower Peerage rank in the former Holy Roman Empire (in German Heiliges Römisches Freiherr, a German word is a title of Nobility of lower Peerage rank in the former Holy Roman Empire (in German Heiliges Römisches
  2. ^ a b Biography of Wernher Von Braun. MSFC History Office. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  3. ^ a b c Recollections of Childhood: Early Experiences in Rocketry as Told by Werner Von Braun 1963. MSFC History Office. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  4. ^ Neufeld, Michael J. Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War (Knopf, 2007) p. 61.
  5. ^ Konstruktive, theoretische und experimentelle Beiträge zu dem Problem der Flüssigkeitsrakete. Raketentechnik und Raumfahrtforschung, Sonderheft 1 (1960), Stuttgart, Germany
  6. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. , Robert Goddard at ScienceWorld. ScienceWorld, also known as Eric Weisstein's World of Science, is a Web site that opened to the general public in January 2002.
  7. ^ Wernher von Braun in SS uniform. The Reformation Online.
  8. ^ Speer, Albert (1969). Erinnerungen (p. 377). Verlag Ullstein GmbH, Frankfurt a. M. and Berlin, [ISBN 3-550-06074-2]
  9. ^ Peenemunde, 17th and 18th August 1943. RAF History - Bomber Command. Royal Air Force. Retrieved on 2006-11-15. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria.
  10. ^ Middlebrook, Martin (1982). The Peenemünde Raid: The Night of 17-18 August 1943. New York: Bobs-Merrill, 222.  
  11. ^ Dornberger, Walter (1952 -- US translation V-2 Viking Press:New York, 1954). Major-General Dr Walter Robert Dornberger ( 6 September 1895 - 27 June 1980) was a German Army Artillery officer V2--Der Schuss ins Weltall. Esslingan: Bechtle Verlag, 164.  
  12. ^ Mittelbau Overview
  13. ^ Excerpts from "Power to Explore". MSFC History Office. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  14. ^ Highlights in German Rocket Development from 1927-1945. MSFC History Office. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  15. ^ a b c Cadbury, Deborah (2005). Deborah Cadbury is an award-winning British Author and BBC Television producer specialising in fundamental issues of science and history and "Space Race". BBC Worldwide Limited. ISBN 0-00-721299-2.  
  16. ^ McDougall, Walter A. . . . The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age. Basic Books: New York, 1985. (p 44) ISBN 0-465-02887-X
  17. ^ McGovern, J (1964). Crossbow and Overcast. New York: W. Morrow, p182.  
  18. ^ Oustanding german Scienctists Being Brought to U.S.. War Department press release. V2Rocket. com (1945-10-01). Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.
  19. ^ Operation Paperclip Casefile. Conspiracy Archive (1997-08-08). Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Retrieved on 2008-05-20. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
  20. ^ Woodfill, Jerry. Gallery of Wernher von Braun Moonship Sketches. The Space Educator's Handbook. NASA Johnson Space Center.
  21. ^ Woodfill, Jerry. Gallery of Wernher von Braun Mars Exploration Sketches. The Space Educator's Handbook. NASA Johnson Space Center.
  22. ^ von Braun, Wernher: Project MARS: A Technical Tale. ISBN-10: 0973820330 , ISBN-13: 978-0973820331)
  23. ^ Neufeld MJ: "Space superiority": Wernher von Braun's campaign for a nuclear-armed space station, 1946–1956. Space Policy 2006; 22:52–62.
  24. ^ Stages to Saturn - The Saturn Building Blocks - THE ABMA TRANSFER. NASA.
  25. ^ Concluding Remarks by Dr. Wernher von Braun about Mode Selection for the Lunar Landing Program (PDF). Lunar Orbit Rendezvous File. NASA Historical Reference Collection (1962-06-07). Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
  26. ^ Space Man's Look at Antarctica. Popular Science, Vol. 190, No. 5, May 1967, pp. 114-116.
  27. ^ von Braun, Wernher (1969-01-16). Adjustment to Marshall Organization, Announcement #4. MSFC History Office. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
  28. ^ "Next, Mars and Beyond", Time (magazine), July 25, 1969. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "Even as man prepared to take his first tentative extraterrestrial steps, other celestial adventures beckoned him. The shape and scope of the post-Apollo manned space program remained hazy, and a great deal depends on the safe and successful outcome of Apollo 11. But well before the moon flight was launched, NASA was casting eyes on targets far beyond the moon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The most inviting: the earth's close, and probably most hospitable, planetary neighbor. Given the same energy and dedication that took them to the moon, says Wernher von Braun, Americans could land on Mars as early as 1982. " 
  29. ^ German sources mostly specify the cancer as renal, while American biographies unanimously just mention cancer. The time when von Braun learned about the disease is generally given as between 1973 and 1976. The characteristics of renal cell carcinoma, which has a bad prognosis even today, do not rule out either time limit.
  30. ^ Ivy Hill Cemetery
  31. ^ "Wernher von Braun, Rocket Pioneer, Dies; Wernher von Braun, Pioneer in Space Travel and Rocketry, Dies at 65", New York Times, June 18, 1977, Saturday. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Retrieved on 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.  "Wernher von Braun, the master rocket builder and pioneer of space travel, died of cancer Thursday morning. He was 65 years old. " 
  32. ^ David Wolper, television series, Biography (1961-64), Wherner von Braun.
  33. ^ Eric Bergaust, Wernher von Braun (Washington, D. C. : National Space Institute, 1976), p. 166
  34. ^ Bergaust, ibid. , p. 62.
  35. ^ "Prof Dr Wernher Von Braun" (1950). Journal of the British Interplanetary Society March 1950 vol 9 No. 2.  
  36. ^ William E. , Sr. Winterstein Secrets Of The Space Age: The Sacrifices and Struggles To Get To The Moon; The Aftermath: What Happened After Lunar Mission, Intrigue and United States Space Heroes Betrayed (Hardcover) Robert D. Reed Publishers June 30, 2005 ISBN 1931741492

Bilbliography

Further reading

External links

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