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.
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.
Spouse	Maria Luise von Quistorp (1947–1977)

Dr. 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. Wernher von Braun is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket scientist of the 20th century.^{[citation needed]} Von Braun may refer to: Wernher von Braun (1912-1977), the influential rocket scientist Von Braun, the lunar crater The Von Braun, a fictional faster-than-light starship from the 1999 PC game System Shock 2 The Von Braun, a fusion-powered ship designed for a manned mission to Jupiter... Download high resolution version (584x720, 56 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Wernher von Braun ... Aerial view of the test area at Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a lead NASA center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion, external fuel tank, crew training and payloads, International Space Station (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. ... Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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 on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Miasto Wyrzysk Wyrzysk (pronounce: [viʒisk], German Wirsitz) is a town in Poland with 14,500 inhabitants, situated in Greater Poland Voivodship. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1749 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - Total 15. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ... A portrait of Maria von Braun, widow of Wernher von Braun. ... Freiherr (German for Free Lord) is a title of lower nobility in Germany, the Baltic states and Austria-Hungary, considered equal to the title Baron. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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 on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ...

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 deadly V-2 combat rocket during World War II. After the war, he and some of his rocket team were brought to the United States as part of the then secret Operation Overcast. In 1955, ten years after entering the country, von Braun became a naturalized U.S. citizen. For other uses, see V2. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Operation Paperclip scientists pose together. ... The United States flag The Seal of the United States Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power (t)o 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.^[2] He is generally regarded by his supporters 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.^{[citation needed]} He received the 1975 National Medal of Science. ICBM redirects here. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Aerial view of the test area at Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a lead NASA center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion, external fuel tank, crew training and payloads, International Space Station (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... For a list of key events, see Timeline of space exploration. ... National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor given by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. ...

Biography

Early life

Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz (Wyrzysk), Province of Posen, German Empire. 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. His mother, Emmy von Quistorp (1886–1959) could trace ancestry through both her parents to medieval European royalty. Von Braun also had a younger brother, also named Magnus Freiherr von Braun, born in 1919. 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. When Wyrzysk was ceded to Poland in 1918, his family, like many other German families, moved. 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. The youngster was taken into custody by the local police until his father came to collect him. Miasto Wyrzysk Wyrzysk (pronounce: [viʒisk], German Wirsitz) is a town in Poland with 14,500 inhabitants, situated in Greater Poland Voivodship. ... The Province of Posen (German: , Polish: ) was a province of Prussia from 1846-1918. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... Anthem Das Lied der Deutschen Germany during the Weimar period, with the Free State of Prussia (in blue) as the largest state Capital Berlin Language(s) German Government Republic President  - 1918-1925 Friedrich Ebert  - 1925-1933 Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor  - 1919 Philipp Scheidemann(first)  - 1933 Kurt von Schleicher (last) Legislature... This article is about the monarchy-related concept. ... Magnus Mac Freiherr von Braun (born Greifswald 10 May 1919, died Phoenix, Arizona 21 June 2003) was a German-American technician and business executive. ... -1... Confirmation is a rite used in many Christian Churches. ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[1] Outer space, sometimes simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Valiers birthplace. ... Fritz von Opel Fritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel, (May 4, 1899 - April 8, 1971) was the only child of Wilhelm von Opel, and a grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel Company. ...

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. 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. 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. Ettersburg is a municipality in the Weimarer Land district of Thuringia, Germany. ... For other uses, see Weimar (disambiguation). ... The landscape to the north of Greetsiel, in East Frisia. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Location of Spiekeroog in Germany Spiekeroog is one of the East Frisian Islands, off the North Sea coast of Germany. ... Oberth (in front) with fellow ABMA employees. ...

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. He also studied at ETH Zurich. Although he worked mainly on military rockets in his later years, space travel remained his primary interest. South Side of the main building Main building The Technical University of Berlin (TUB, TU Berlin, German: Technische Universität Berlin) is located in Berlin, Germany. ... Members of the VfR, circa 1930. ... Oberth (in front) with fellow ABMA employees. ... The ETH Zurich, often called Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is a science and technology university in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. ...

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. 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. 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.^[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.^[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 National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP, commonly, the Nazi Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... Major-General Dr Walter Robert Dornberger (September 6, 1895 - June 27, 1980) was a German army officer whose career spanned World Wars I and II. During the 1930s and 40s, he directed Germanys rocket and missile programmes, which culminated in the V-2. ... Kummersdorf is the name of an estate near Luckenwalde at 52°05 N and 13°20 E, around 25km south of Berlin, in the Brandenburg region of Germany. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering that concerns the design, construction and science behind aircraft and spacecraft. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (German Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) is Berlins oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin (Universität zu Berlin) by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt whose university model has strongly influenced... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

At the time, Germany was highly interested in American physicist Robert H. Goddard's research. Before 1939, German scientists occasionally contacted Goddard directly with technical questions. 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.^[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.^{[citation needed]} Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945), U.S. professor and scientist, was a pioneer of controlled, liquid-fueled rocketry. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Aggregate series was a set of rocket designs developed in 1933–1945 by a research program of Nazi Germanys army. ...

There were no German rocket societies after the collapse of the VFR, and civilian rocket tests were forbidden by the new Nazi regime. 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. 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. They also developed the long-range A-4 ballistic missile and the supersonic Wasserfall anti-aircraft missile. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Peenemündes position in Germany Peenemünde is a village in the northeast of the German (Western) part of the Usedom island. ... For other uses, see Baltic (disambiguation). ...   (German IPA: ) is a generic German term for an air force. ... JATO is an acronym for Jet Assisted Take Off. ... The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk (formerly A4D Skyhawk, Douglas later McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing) is an attack aircraft originally designed to operate from United States Navy aircraft carriers. ... Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile. ... A United States Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in transonic flight. ... Hermes-A1 (American Copy of the Wasserfall-missile) Wasserfall (German for waterfall) was a German surface-to-air missile developed during World War II. It never reached operational status although it was well developed and likely ready for operation, and the project was cancelled in February 1945. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ...

In November 1937 (other sources: December 1, 1932), von Braun joined the National Socialist German Workers Party. 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. is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP, commonly, the Nazi Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... OMGUS is an abbreviation for Office of Military Government, United States. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... SS redirects here. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

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 ... 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. 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.^{[citation needed]} SS-Standartenführer insignia Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in both the SA and the SS. First created as a title in 1925, in 1928 the rank became one of the first commissioned Nazi ranks and was bestowed upon those SA and SS officers... Heinrich Himmler as the Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. ... Himmler redirects here. ...

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). SS-Untersturmführer insignia Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. ... Sturmbannführer Collar Patch Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party which was used by both the Sturmabteilung (SA) and the Schutzstaffel (SS). ... The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, a stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the Wehrmacht. ...

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. 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.^[8] In Germany and at this time, this was an absolutely unusual promotion for an engineer who was only 31 years old. Image File history File links V-2_rocket_diagram_(with_English_labels). ... Image File history File links V-2_rocket_diagram_(with_English_labels). ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hitler redirects here. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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 dispatched raids on the Peenemünde camp consisting of 596 aircraft and dropping 1,800 tons of explosives.^[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.^[10][11] is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bomber Command badge RAF Bomber Command was the organisation that controlled the RAFs bomber forces. ... Peenemünde was bombed by 596 British and Canadian aircraft, on August 17 and 18, 1943, so as to hamper the manufacture of the German V-Weaposns. ... Walter Thiel (March 2, 1910 - August 17, 1943) was a German engineer who largely designed the rocket engine that powered the V-2 missile. ...

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. 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".^{[citation needed]} Peenemünde was bombed by 596 British and Canadian aircraft, on August 17 and 18, 1943, so as to hamper the manufacture of the German V-Weaposns. ... For other uses, see V2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Arthur Rudolph, chief engineer of the V-2 rocket factory at Peenemünde, endorsed this idea in April 1943 when a labor shortage developed. 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.^[13] He denied ever having visited the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp itself, where 20,000 died from illness, beatings, hangings and intolerable working conditions.^[14] Hans Kammler. ... Look up engineer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... Auschwitz, in English, commonly refers to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex built near the town of Oświęcim, by Nazi Germany during World War II. Rarely, it may refer to the Polish town of Oświęcim (called by the Germans Auschwitz) itself. ... Slave redirects here. ... Rudolph managed the Marshall Space Flight Center Saturn V Program Office. ... Mittelwerk was part of the WW2-era Mittelbau-Dora complex near Nordhausen, Germany. ... Categories: Stub | Nazi concentration camps ...

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".^[2] This article is about the day of the year. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Buchenwald is the German for beech forest. A koolio forest in the hill range Elm (Höhenzug Elm), in the Helmstedt and Wolfenbüttel districts, Lower Saxony A German name for a Hungarian region Bakony Forest (Hungarian: , German: ) A Nazi concentration camp in Germany (German: ); See Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald...

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. 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. Categories: Stub | Nazi concentration camps ... Hochwald is a municipality in the district of Dorneck, in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ...

Apparently von Braun had been under SD surveillance since October 1943. 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. 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. Kammler, highly dedicated to Himmler, is thought to have been instrumental in these activities. Sicherheitsdienst (SD) sleeve insignia. ... Klaus Riedel (August 2, 1907 - August 4, 1944) was a German rocket pioneer. ... Helmut Gröttrup (born 1916, died 1981) was a german rocket engineer and assistent of Wernher von Braun in the V-2 rocket-project. ... This article is about the form of society and political movement. ... The   (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: “secret state police”) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ...

The unsuspecting von Braun was detained on March 14 (or March 15)^[15], 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. 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. 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. 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." is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stettin redirects here. ... The Abwehr was a German intelligence organization from 1921 to 1944. ... For the son of Albert Speer, also an architect, see Albert Speer (the younger). ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Surrender to the Americans

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. 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. ^[16] This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ... Peenemündes position in Germany Peenemünde is a village in the northeast of the German (Western) part of the Usedom island. ... The Harz is a mountain range in northern Germany. ...

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.^[16]

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. 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.^[16] Oberammergau from the summit of Kofel Oberammergau is a village in Bavaria in Germany, most famous for its production of a passion play depicting the life and death of Jesus. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

On May 2, 1945, upon finding an American private from the U.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. My brother invented the V-2. We want to surrender."^[17] is the 122nd day of the year (123rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The 44th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. // Activated: After World War I as a National Guard Division in New Jersey and New York. ...

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.^[18] Von Braun was subsequently recruited to the U.S. under Operation Overcast. Roland statue in Nordhausen Twinning The city is twinned with Bet Shemesh in Israel Charleville-Mézières in France Bochum Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland Nordhausen is a city of about 45,000 people at the southern border of the Harz mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. ... Witzenhausen is a town with a population of 10,000 in the Werra-Meißner district of Hessen, Germany. ... The C-Pennant Occupation zones in Germany (1945) Capital Berlin (de jure) Political structure Military occupation Governors (1945)  - UK zone F.M. Montgomery  - French zone Gen. ... Operation Paperclip scientists pose together. ...

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.^[19] 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.S. Army.^[20] is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. ... Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871–July 23, 1955) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Operation Paperclip scientists pose together. ...

The first seven technicians arrived in the United States at New Castle Army Air Field, just south of Wilmington, Delaware, on September 20, 1945. They were then flown to Boston and taken by boat to the Army Intelligence Service post at Fort Strong 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. These would enable the scientists to continue their rocketry experiments. New Castle Airport (IATA: ILG, ICAO: KILG), also known as the New Castle County Airport, is an airport located 4 miles (6 km) south of the city of Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware, USA. The airport has 3 runways, a single terminal building, and is home to both the... : Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Boston redirects here. ... The Army intelligence logo. ... Long Island, together with Moon Island, showing island iconography and Fort Strong. ... Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located at Aberdeen, Maryland (in Harford county). ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N...

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. 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. 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". It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with [[::Operation Paperclip|Operation Paperclip]]. (Discuss) The following lists contain names of scientists and technical personnel specializing in rocketry who originally came from Germany but spent most of their working life in the United States. ... Fort Bliss is a census-designated place and United States Army post in El Paso County, Texas, United States. ... El Paso redirects here. ... The Hermes project was an effort undertaken in 1944 by the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army to develop long-range missiles similar to the V-2 rocket developed by Germany. ... White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), formerly known as the White Sands Proving Grounds, is located in a valley between the Organ Mountains and the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. ... For other uses, see New Mexico (disambiguation). ...

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. 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. He and his bride and his father and mother returned to New York on March 26, 1947. 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. On April 15, 1955, von Braun became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 473 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (568 × 720 pixel, file size: 224 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A portrait of Maria von Braun, wife of Wernher von Braun. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 473 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (568 × 720 pixel, file size: 224 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A portrait of Maria von Braun, wife of Wernher von Braun. ... A portrait of Maria von Braun, widow of Wernher von Braun. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth. ...

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. 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. Belligerents United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Luxembourg Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Naval Support and Military Servicing/Repairs: Japan Medical staff: Denmark Italy Norway India Sweden DPR Korea PR China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung... Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... Redstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army post and a census-designated place (CDP) located next to the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. ... First launched in 1953, the American Redstone rocket was a direct descendant of the German V-2. ... Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile. ...

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 successfully launched the West's first satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. This event signaled the birth of America's space program. Hermann Oberth (front) with officials of the ABMA in 1956. ... The Jupiter-C Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) was designed by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) The vehicle consists of a modified Redstone ballistic missile with three solid-propellant upper stages. ... Explorer-I, officially known as Satellite 1958 Alpha, was the first United States Earth satellite and was sent aloft as part of the United States program for the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ...

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. 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. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (Серге́й Па́влович Королёв) (December 30, 1906– January 14, 1966) was the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the space race, known only as the chief designer during his lifetime. ... Sputnik 1 The Sputnik program was a series of unmanned space missions launched by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s to demonstrate the viability of artificial satellites. ... Slavery is any of a number of related conditions involving control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or other clear forms of coercion. ...

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. 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. 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. 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. Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. ... is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Space Station in 2007 A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. ... Colliers (May 7, 1932) Colliers 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 articles in Colliers Weekly Magazine laying out Wernher von Brauns plans for manned spaceflight. ... Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986) was a painter, designer, and illustrator. ... Willy Ley (October 2, 1906 - June 24, 1969) was a science writer and space advocate who helped popularise rocketry and spaceflight in Germany and the United States in the early-mid twentieth century. ...

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. (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.) The ultimate purpose of the space station would be to provide an assembly platform for manned lunar expeditions. Exterior view of a Stanford torus. ... Artificial gravity is a simulation of gravity in outer space or free-fall. ... Earth orbit is an orbit around the planet Earth. ... This article is about Earths moon. ...

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.^[21] 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. This would include a 400 km expedition in pressurized rovers to the Harpalus crater and the Mare Imbrium foothills. Lunar outpost redirects here. ... The Ocean of Storms of the Moon. ... Harpalus is a young lunar impact crater that lies on the Mare Frigoris, at the eastern edge of the Sinus Roris. ... Oblique view of Mare Imbrium looking south towards Copernicus crater. ...

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.

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^[22] 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. Download high resolution version (505x640, 130 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (505x640, 130 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... This article is about the planet. ... In astronautics and aerospace engineering, the Hohmann transfer orbit is an orbital maneuver that, under standard assumption, moves a spacecraft from one circular orbit to another using two engine impulses. ...

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.^[23]

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. The initial broadcast devoted to space exploration was Man in Space, which first went on air on March 9, 1955. For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Old logo from 1985-2006 Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since the death of Walt Disney were released under the name of the... Man In Space aired on March 9, 1955 and directed by legendary Disney animator Ward Kimball. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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.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. 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.^[24] For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... National Air and Space Museum exterior The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., United States, and is the most popular of the Smithsonian museums. ...

NASA career

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

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. 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. American authorities then chose to utilize von Braun and his German team's experience with missiles to create an orbital launch vehicle. Download high resolution version (474x657, 67 KB)kennedy_vonbraun_19may63_02 (NASA photo) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (474x657, 67 KB)kennedy_vonbraun_19may63_02 (NASA photo) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... Redstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army post and a census-designated place (CDP) located next to the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. ... Download high resolution version (2431x3000, 1000 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Download high resolution version (2431x3000, 1000 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... F-1 Rocket Engine Specifications. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... The US Space and Rocket Center is a museum located in Huntsville, Alabama which caters solely to manned and unmanned space exploration. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 19700202-wernher-von-braun-nasa. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 19700202-wernher-von-braun-nasa. ... USN redirects here. ... The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first launch vehicle the United States would use to place a satellite into orbit. ... Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, or literally Co-traveler-1 byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... For a list of key events, see Timeline of space exploration. ...

NASA was established by law on July 29, 1958. One day later, the 50th Redstone rocket was successfully launched from Johnston Atoll in the south Pacific as part of Operation Hardtack. 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. 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.^[25] Presiding from July 1960 to February 1970, von Braun became the center's first Director. is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Hardtack Oak mushroom cloud Hardtack Sorocco mushroom cloud An RB-57 Canberra observes Juniper. ... Aerial view of the test area at Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a lead NASA center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion, external fuel tank, crew training and payloads, International Space Station (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. ... Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... Herbert F. York is an accomplished American physicist who has held numerous administrative positions (including the first directorship of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Chief Scientist of the Advanced Research Projects Agency), as well as numerous acacademic positions. ...

The Marshall Center's first major program was the development of Saturn rockets to carry heavy payloads into and beyond Earth orbit. 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.^[26] 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. Over the course of the program, Saturn V rockets enabled six teams of astronauts to reach the surface of the Moon. The Saturn family of rockets were developed 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 or experiments, or external fuel, although internal fuel is usually not included. ... Earth orbit is an orbit around the planet Earth. ... The Apollo program was a human spaceflight program undertaken by NASA during the years 1961 – 1975 with the goal of conducting manned moon landing missions. ... Earth Orbit Rendezvous was a proposed method for American space missions to the moon. ... Lunar Orbit Rendezvous was the method of flying to the moon used in the Apollo Missions, where a Main ship would carry a ferry to the moon which would carry astronauts down to the surface. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... This article covers the Apollo 11 mission itself. ...

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

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.^[27] ([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^[28] von Braun had confirmed to his staff that he would stay on as a Center Director at Huntsville to head the Apollo Applications Program. 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 ^[29] is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... The Apollo Applications Program (AAP) was established by NASA headquarters in 1968 to develop science based manned space missions using surplus material from the Apollo Lunar Landing Program. ... For the moon designated Saturn V, see Rhea. ... This article is about the planet. ...

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. 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. Not only had it become 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. is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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

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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... William R. Lucas (born March 1, 1922) was the fourth Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. ... Aerial view of the test area at Marshall Space Flight Center The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is a lead NASA center for propulsion, Space Shuttle propulsion, external fuel tank, crew training and payloads, International Space Station (ISS) design and construction, for computers, networks, and information management. ... This article is about the space vehicle. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 Fairchild Argus III Fairchild was an aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company based at various times in Farmingdale, New York, Hagerstown, Maryland and San Antonio, Texas. ... Germantown is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Maryland: Germantown, Anne Arundel County, Maryland Germantown, Baltimore County, Maryland Germantown, Montgomery County, Maryland -- This is the most common place referred to as Germantown, Maryland. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 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.^[30] 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. Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule. ... Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania which prides itself as being one of the oldest colleges in the United States. ...

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. In 1976, he became scientific consultant to Lutz Kayser, the CEO of OTRAG, and a member of the Daimler-Benz board of directors. However, his deteriorating condition forced him to retire from Fairchild on December 31, 1976. 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. On June 16, 1977, Wernher von Braun died in Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 65. He was buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia. ^{[31] [32]} The National Space Institute was a space advocacy group established by Wernher von Braun in 1974. ... National Space Society logo The National Space Society (NSS) is an international nonprofit 501(c)(3), educational, and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. ... OTRAG (German: Orbital Transport und Raketen AG, or Orbital Transport and Rockets, Inc. ... Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor given by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1749 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - Total 15. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1749 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - Total 15. ...

Published works

• First Men to the Moon, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York (1958). Portions of work first appeared in This Week Magazine.
• Project Mars: A Technical Tale, Apogee Books, Toronto (2006). A previously unpublished science fiction story by Dr. von Braun. Accompanied by paintings from Chesley Bonestell and von Braun's own technical papers on the proposed project.
• The Voice of Dr. Wernher von Braun, Apogee Books, Toronto (2007). A collection of speeches delivered by von Braun over the course of his career.

This Week is one of the American Sunday-morning interview shows. ... Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986) was a painter, designer, and illustrator. ...

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."^[33]

"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...."^[34]

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."^[35]

"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.

• Elected Honary Fellow of the B.I.S. in 1949^[36]
• Deutsches Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1959
• Smithsonian Langley Medal in 1967
• NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1969
• National Medal of Science in 1975
• Werner-von-Siemens-Ring in 1975

Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... A portrait of Maria von Braun, widow of Wernher von Braun. ... credited to the United States Senate Historical Office John Jackson Sparkman (December 20, 1899 – November 16, 1985) was a United States politician from Alabama. ... Albert Preston Brewer (born October 26, American politician who was the Governor of Alabama from May, 1968 until January, 1971. ... The British Interplanetary Society (BIS) founded in 1933 by Mr. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bundesverdienstkreuz (the official name is Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) is the only general Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Smithsonian Institution Building or Castle on the National Mall serves as the Institutions headquarters. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the second highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, ranking immediately below the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor given by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Werner-von-Siemens-Ring is considered to be among the highest ranking awards for technical sciences in Germany. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Posthumous recognition and critique

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

• Apollo space program director Sam Phillips was quoted as saying that he did not think that America would have reached the moon as quickly as it did without von Braun's help. Later, after discussing it with colleagues, he amended this to say that he did not believe America would have reached the moon at all.
• The von Braun crater on the moon was so named by the IAU in recognition of von Braun's contribution to space exploration and technology.
• Von Braun received a total of 12 honorary doctorates, among them (on January 8, 1963) one from the Technical University of Berlin from which he had graduated.
• Von Braun was responsible for the creation of the Research Institute at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. As a result of his vision, the university is one of the leading universities in the nation for NASA-sponsored research. The building housing the university's Research Institute was named in his honor, Von Braun Research Hall, in 2000.
• Several German cities (Bonn, Neu-Isenburg, Mannheim, Mainz), and dozens of smaller towns, have named streets after Wernher von Braun. Remarkably, all these places are situated in Germany's Southwest and South - the American and French parts of the Allied occupation zones. There seem to be no von Braun streets in the northern parts of the former Federal Republic of Germany, which were occupied by the British. Having had London suffer from his rockets, it is quite understandable that the United Kingdom would have discouraged German attempts at honoring von Braun.
• The Von Braun Center (built 1975) in Huntsville, Alabama is named in von Braun's honor.
• Scrutiny of von Braun's use of forced labor at the Mittelwerk intensified again in 1984 when Arthur Rudolph, one of his top affiliates from the A-4/V2 through to the Apollo projects, left the United States and was forced to renounce his citizenship in front of the alternative of being tried for war crimes.^[37]
• A science- and engineering-oriented Gymnasium in Friedberg, Bavaria was named after Wernher von Braun in 1979. In response to rising criticism, a school committee decided in 1995, after lengthy deliberations, to keep the name but "to address von Braun's ambiguity in the advanced history classes."

Description Role: Earth and Lunar Orbit Crew: 3; CDR, CM pilot, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 36. ... Von Braun is a lunar crater that is located near the northwestern limb of the Moon. ... IAU redirects here. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... South Side of the main building Main building The Technical University of Berlin (TUB, TU Berlin, German: Technische Universität Berlin) is located in Berlin, Germany. ... Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. ... Neu-Isenburg is a town to the south of Frankfurt, Germany , founded by French Huguenot refugees in 1699 . ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... Mainz is a city in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. ... The C-Pennant Occupation zones in Germany (1945) Capital Berlin (de jure) Political structure Military occupation Governors (1945)  - UK zone F.M. Montgomery  - French zone Gen. ... The Von Braun Center (VBC), formerly known as the Von Braun Civic Center (VBCC), is a multipurpose indoor arena, meeting, and performing arts complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 10,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. ... Huntsville, Alabama (top center), near the Tennessee border, is north of Birmingham and northeast of Decatur, across the Tennessee River flowing northwest. ... This article is about the year. ... Rudolph managed the Marshall Space Flight Center Saturn V Program Office. ... A gymnasium (pronounced with or, in Swedish, as opposed to ) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools and U.S. High Schools. ... Friedberg is a city in the district Aichach-Friedberg, Bavaria, Germany, with some 30,000 inhabitants. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

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: For a list of key events, see Timeline of space exploration. ...

• I Aim at the Stars (1960), also titled Wernher von Braun and Ich greife nach den Sternen ("I reach for the stars"): von Braun played by Curd Jürgens). Satirist Mort Sahl suggested the subtitle "(But Sometimes I Hit London)".
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): Dr Strangelove is usually held to be based at least partly on von Braun.
• Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare) (1977): Director and star Kidlat Tahimik is president of a Wernher von Braun club and is fascinated with "First World" progress, particularly von Braun's efforts in the U.S. space program.
• Mobile Suit Gundam (1979): The largest Lunar city in the Universal Century era is called 'Von Braun City'. The city is the home of Anaheim Electronics, is a strategic point in space, and is built around Neil Armstrong's footprint in the Apollo missions.
• The Right Stuff (1983): The Chief Scientist, played by Scott Beach, was clearly modeled on von Braun.
• Back to the Future Part III (1990): Emmett "Doc" Brown reveals that when his Family emigrated to the US, they were originally called "von Braun".
• From the Earth to the Moon (TV, 1998): von Braun played by Norbert Weisser.
• October Sky (1999): In this film about American rocket scientist Homer Hickam, who as a teenager admired von Braun, the scientist is played by Joe Digaetano.
• Space Race (TV, BBC co-production with NDR (Germany), Channel One TV (Russia) and National Geographic TV (USA), 2005): von Braun played by Richard Dillane.
• Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965, directed by Jean-Luc Godard): Howard Vernon plays Professor Von Braun (also known as Leonard Nosferatu), the inventor of the "Alpha 60" super-computer which rules Alphaville.
• "Race to Space" (2001) James Woods portrays a character that the film's director states was "clearly modeled" after von Braun, working on the Mercury program sending the first chimp "Ham" (renamed Mac) into space.
• Planetes (2003): The von Braun is the ship built to make the first manned voyage to the Jovian system. Additionally, the character Wernher Locksmith, the director of the mission, is possibly based on von Braun.
• Alien Planet (TV, 2005): A spacecraft, named VonBraun, is named after him.
• Wernher von Braun - Rocket Man for War and Peace A three part (part1, part 2, part 3) documentary - in English - from the German International channel DW-TV DW-TV.Original German version Wernher von Braun - Der Mann für die Wunderwaffenby the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.

Jürgens in a scene from Der Kommissar (1973) Curd Jürgens (December 13, 1915 - June 18, 1982) was a German stage and motion-picture actor. ... Time Magazine, August 15, 1960 Morton Lyon Sahl (born May 11, 1927) is a Montreal-born actor/comedian/humorist credited with pioneering a style of stand-up comedy that paved the way for Lenny Bruce, Nichols & May, Dick Gregory, and others less famous. ... For the hit 1987 single by Depeche Mode, see the album Music for the Masses Film poster for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 satirical film directed by Stanley Kubrick. ... Kidlat Tahimik (born Eric de Guia, October 3, 1942 in Baguio City, Philippines) is a movie director, writer and actor whose films are commonly associated through their critiques of neocolonialism with the Third Cinema movement. ... Mobile Suit Gundam ) is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For the video game based on this film, see Back to the Future Part III (video game). ... From the Earth to the Moon is a twelve-part HBO television miniseries (1998) co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks, and Michael Bostick detailing the landmark Apollo expeditions to the Moon during the 1960s and early 1970s. ... Norbert Weisser (born July 9th, 1949) is a German actor, most known for his many collaborations with the director Albert Pyun. ... October Sky is a 1999 movie based on the book Rocket Boys, an autobiographical book by Homer Hickam. ... Homer Hadley Hickam, Jr. ... Space Race is a BBC docu-drama series first shown in Britain on BBC2 between September/October 2005, chronicling the major events and characters in the American/Soviet space race. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... NDR may refer to: National Derby Rallies (Soapbox Derby) Nash Dom Rossiya (Наш Дом Россия, Our Home Is Russia), Russian political party New Day Rising Video Productions National Driver Register Network Data Representation, an implementation of the OSI model presentation layer Norddeutscher Rundfunk, a public radio and television broadcaster in Northern Germany non... The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ... Richard Dillane (born 1964) is an English actor. ... Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution is a 99-minute 1965 science fiction film (dystopia) directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Howard Vernon and Akim Tamiroff. ... Jean-Luc Godard (French IPA: ) (born 3 December 1930) is a French filmmaker and one of the most influential members of the Nouvelle Vague, or French New Wave. Born to Franco-Swiss parents in Paris, he was educated in Nyon, Switzerland, later studying at the Lycée Rohmer, and the... Howard Vernon Howard Vernon (15 July 1914 - 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. ... Serialized in Weekly Morning Original run January 23, 2001 – February 23, 2004 No. ... Alien Planet is a two-hour special on Discovery Channel about two Internationally built robot probes investigating for alien life on the fictional planet Darwin IV. It was based on the book Expedition, by sci-fi/fantasy artist and writer Wayne Douglas Barlowe, who was also executive producer on the... The VonBraun is name of the interstellar spacecraft shown on the Discovery Channel special Alien Planet. ...

In print media

• In an issue of Mad Magazine in the late 1950s, artist Wallace Wood depicted von Braun at the launch of a rocket, ready to listen to a radio transmitting the rocket's signals. Suddenly he says, "HIMMEL! Vas ist los?" and then explains, "Vat iss wrong is vit der RADIO! It iss AC...und der control room iss DC!"

• In Warren Ellis' graphic novel Ministry of Space, Von Braun is a supporting character, settling in Britain after WWII, and being essential for the realization of the British Space Program.

• In the Robotech comics by DC/Wildstorm, Dr. Emil Lang, said to be the chief pioneer of Earth based Robotechnology, has been compared favorably to Von Braun. Notably, Dr. Lang is also German.

Wallace Wally Wood (June 17, 1927–November 2, 1981), best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad magazine, was an imaginative and prolific writer-illustrator. ... This article is about the comic book author. ... Ministry of Space cover Ministry of Space is a three-part alternate history graphic novel written by Warren Ellis, originally published in three issues by Image Comics. ... Robotech science fiction and anime universe. ... DC may stand for: // A. P. de Candolle in botanical nomenclature, a botanist who developed an extensive system of botanical classification Dendritic cell, a type of immune cell Doctor of Chiropractic, a health care profession DC Shoes, a clothing company that deals primarily with skateboarding gear. ... WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm or Wildstorm, is a publishing imprint and studio of American comic book publisher DC Comics. ... Dr. Emil Lang is a fictional character appearing in the Robotech universe. ...

In novels

• The Good German by Joseph Kanon. Von Braun and other scientists are said to have been implicated in the use of slave labour at Peenemünde; their transfer to the US forms part of the narrative.

• Space by James Michener. Von Braun and other German scientists are brought to the US and form a vital part of the US efforts to reach space.

• Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. The plot involves British intelligence attempting to avert and predict V-2 rocket attacks. The work even includes a gyroscopic equation for the V2. The first portion of the novel, "Beyond The Zero," begins with a quote from Von Braun: "Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation. Everything science has taught me, and continues to teach me, strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death."

• New Dictionary, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut in his collection Welcome to the Monkey House notes Von Braun as one of the things an old dictionary doesn't mention.

• Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut has a scene in which a character reads a Life magazine with Von Braun on the cover.

• Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly. The plot involves Nazis such as Hans Koeing and also mentions Von Braun.

The Good German is a 2006 feature film adaptation of a novel by Joseph Kanon. ... Space is a novel by James A. Michener published in 1982. ... Gravitys Rainbow is an epic postmodern novel written by Thomas Pynchon and first published on February 28, 1973. ... Welcome to the Monkey House is an assortment of short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut. ... Mother Night is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1961. ... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... This article is about the fiction novel. ... Matthew Reilly, born July 2nd, 1974 Sydney, is an Australian action thriller writer. ... National Socialism redirects here. ...

In music

• Wernher von Braun (1965): A song written and performed by Tom Lehrer for an episode of NBC's American version of the BBC TV show That Was The Week That Was; the song was later included in Lehrer's album That Was The Year That Was. It was a satire on what some saw as von Braun's cavalier attitude toward the consequences of his work in Nazi Germany: "'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? / That's not my department', says Wernher von Braun."

• The Last Days of Pompeii (1991): A rock opera by Grant Hart's post-Hüsker Dü alternative rock group Nova Mob, in which von Braun features as a character. The album includes a song called Wernher von Braun.

• Progress vs. Pettiness (2005): A song about the Space Race written and performed by The Phenomenauts for their CD Re-Entry. The song begins: "In 1942 there was Wernher von Braun..."

• John D. Loudermilk's song He's Just A Scientist (That's All) contains the lyric "Everybody's flippin' over Fabian or Frankie Avalon, but nobody ever seems to give a flip over Dr Werner Von Braun."

• The song "Apollo XI/V1/V2/Aggregat 4" from German Electro band Welle:Erdball deals with his inventions.

Thomas Andrew Tom Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. ... This article is about the television network. ... That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, was a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. ... That Was The Year That Was (1965) is an album made up of a collection of songs performed by Tom Lehrer for the NBC version of the BBC series That Was The Week That Was. ... Grant Hart (born March 18, 1961 as Grantzberg Vernon Hart)[1] is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-songwriter for the influential alternative rock and hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü. After the bands breakup in 1987, Hart formed the alternative rock trio Nova Mob... This article is about the rock band called Hüsker Dü. For other uses, see Husker Du. ... Nova Mob was the band that former Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart assembled in 1989. ... The Phenomenauts are a San Francisco Bay Area band that combine elements of rock and roll, pop, punk, New Wave, and rockabilly along with a futuristic science fiction theme, dubbing their style Rocket Roll. The Phenomenauts were formed in 2000 in Oakland, California (which the band refers to as Earth... John D. Loudermilk (born March 31, 1934 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American singer and songwriter. ...

In computer games

• In the 1999 PC game System Shock 2, the main starship is named the Von Braun.
• In the 2004 Playstation 2 game Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the character of Nikolai Sokolov portrays many parallels to von Braun, including his CIA-aided defection to the United States, and famed contributions to rocket science. This may however, be a reference to Korolev, considered by many to be the equivalent of Von Braun in the Soviet space project.

IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC, XT, or AT internal design, facilitated by various manufacturers... System Shock 2 (commonly abbreviated SS2 or Shock2) is a science-fiction horror-themed PC game, designed by Ken Levine, that incorporates elements commonly seen in first-person shooters and role-playing games. ... The Von Braun is one of two starships on which the computer game System Shock 2 takes place, the other being the Rickenbacker. ... PS2 redirects here. ... Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (commonly abbreviated MGS3) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. ... This is a list of characters appearing in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. ... Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov (often transliterated as Sergei Korolev),[2] (Russian: ; Ukrainian: ), (January 12 [O.S. December 30 1906] 1907, Zhytomyr – January 14, 1966, Moscow), was the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

See also

• Sergey Korolyov
• Robert H. Goddard
• List of coupled cousins

Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov (often transliterated as Sergei Korolev),[2] (Russian: ; Ukrainian: ), (January 12 [O.S. December 30 1906] 1907, Zhytomyr – January 14, 1966, Moscow), was the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945), U.S. professor and scientist, was a pioneer of controlled, liquid-fueled rocketry. ... // This is a list of prominent individuals who have been romantically or maritally coupled with a cousin, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle. ...

References

Notes

Freiherr (German for Free Lord) is a title of lower nobility in Germany, the Baltic states and Austria-Hungary, considered equal to the title Baron. ... For other uses, see Baron (disambiguation). ... Freiherr (German for Free Lord) is a title of lower nobility in Germany, the Baltic states and Austria-Hungary, considered equal to the title Baron. ... Freiherr (German for Free Lord) is a title of lower nobility in Germany, the Baltic states and Austria-Hungary, considered equal to the title Baron. ... ScienceWorld, also known as Eric Weissteins World of Science, is a web site that opened to the general public in January 2002. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Major-General Dr Walter Robert Dornberger (September 6, 1895 - June 27, 1980) was a German army officer whose career spanned World Wars I and II. During the 1930s and 40s, he directed Germanys rocket and missile programmes, which culminated in the V-2. ... TIME redirects here. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... TIME redirects here. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article covers the Apollo 11 mission itself. ... For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bilbliography

The logotype of the United States Government Printing Office In the United States, the Government Printing Office (GPO) prints and provides access to documents produced by and for all three branches of the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, and all executive branch agencies like the FCC and... Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger is an American atomic, electrical and rocket scientist born in Niederrimbach, Germany, on December 19, 1913. ... ScienceWorld, also known as Eric Weissteins World of Science, is a web site that opened to the general public in January 2002. ...

Further reading

• Neufeld, Michael J. (2007). Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-307-26292-9. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Wernher von Braun

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Wernher von Braun

• Dr. Wernher von Braun – At the Redstone Arsenal Historical Information pages
• Wernher Von Braun – A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress
• Wernher von Braun at Find A Grave - Photos of Wernher von Braun's gravesite
• The capture of von Braun and his men – At the U.S. 44th Infantry Division website
• Wernher von Braun bio – Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) History Office
• "The Disney - von Braun Collaboration and its Influence on Space Exploration" – By Mike Wright, MSFC
• coat-of-arms of Dr. Wernher von Braun
• Photo of von Braun in SS uniform
• Remembering Von Braun – by Anthony Young - The Space Review Monday, July 10, 2006
• The Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial
• The old dreams, and the modern reality. Wernher von Braun inteviewed by Jules Bergman circa 1969.
• Article on von Braun, Huntsville, and German rocket scientists