Wernher von Braun, the renowned rocket scientist who designed the V-2 rocket, helped America reach the Moon. He also had a plan for deeper space exploration ahead of time. Remarkably, we are still talking about von Braun 60 years after those Disney shows and almost 40 years after his death. Even private space rivals Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk refer to von Braun, who has built the best reusable rocket. Learn more about von Braun’s life in this article.
Wernher von Braun, 1912 – 1977
Often called the “Father of Rocket Science,” Wernher von Braun made essential contributions to rocket science and space exploration in the 1930s-1970s. Wernher was one of the leading scientists that developed the Saturn V rocket, which took Apollo 11 to the Moon in July 1969.
Wernher von Braun’s lineage can be traced back to the Junkers, a social class of nobles that dominated the Prussian military officer corps, the landowning elite, and civil service offices in the 19th and early 20th centuries. High social standing was inherited or acquired through marriage, a legacy that typically gave Junkers a narrow and self-interested worldview.
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Wernher von Braun Facts & Career
Von Braun’s father, Magnus, was a civil servant, which ensured the family had a certain quality of life—raised in this privileged environment with a sense of his Junker heritage shaped von Braun at an early age into a proud and sometimes arrogant young man.
Wernher von Braun’s love affair with space, which was at odds with his upbringing, began when his mother, Emmy, gave him a telescope for his thirteenth birthday. On March 23, 1912, he was born into a noble family in Wirsitz, Germany (now Wyrzysk, Poland). Wernher was the middle child of three sons.
Magnus Freiherr von Braun
His father, Magnus Freiherr von Braun, was a politician and carried the title “Freiherr,” similar to a Baron’s. And his mother, Emmy von Quistorp, descended from medieval European royalties and started his interest in knowing more about space.
Von Braun’s family moved to Berlin when he was a baby, and after Wernher’s confirmation in the Lutheran Church, he got a telescope as a gift from his mother, which began his passion for astronomy. Furthermore, in 1924, aged 12, Wernher von Braun caused a significant disturbance in a crowded street by setting fireworks on his toy wagon.
Wernher Was a Gifted Musician
Wernher was a gifted musician who played pieces by masters such as Beethoven and Bach from memory. He enjoyed music, learning how to play cello and piano as a young boy. And though he first wanted to be a composer, he was destined for fame in another field. In 1925, he attended a boarding school at Ettersburg Castle, and he didn’t excel in mathematics or physics during his early years there.
Later he discovered the book “Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen” (By Rocket into Interplanetary Space). This book motivated him to hone his mathematics and physics skills because space travel had always interested him.
Wernher Joins The “Spaceflight Society”
So, after his education, von Braun joined the Berlin Institute of Technology in 1930, where he joined the “Spaceflight Society” and helped Willy Ley with tests he was managing for liquid-fueled rockets. Finishing with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1932, Wernher advanced his studies by joining the University of Berlin for doctoral courses in physics.
And there, he proceeded to study rocketry with Army-funded research. He received his doctorate in 1934 with his dissertation – Construction, Theoretical, and Experimental Solution to the Problem of the Liquid Propellant Rocket.
Did Wernher Work For The Nazis?
His career can be divided into two primary periods—one where von Braun worked for the Nazis and two when he worked for the United States. In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power. Still profoundly engaged in his doctoral work, von Braun was only partially aware of the nationwide changes brought about by this new leadership.
He was only 21 and, by his own admission (albeit later in life), apolitical and somewhat disinterested in the world around him. He was patriotic, but rockets were his primary concern. So, while working for the Nazis, von Braun became known as the “rocket team” leader who developed the V-2 rocket used in World War II.
Wernher von Braun designed the famous World War II V-2 rocket for his native Germany. He also dreamed of developing vehicles to propel artificial satellites and men into outer space.
Von Braun Was Excited by the Opportunities America Promised
In fact, his interest in developing rockets for space exploration rather than for war angered the Nazis and led to two weeks in a German prison. Von Braun was attracted by the opportunities America promised and suspected that the US military would support his continued research in rocketry.
Critics still have discussions about his involvement in creating these ballistic missiles, which were probably products of forced labor in the factory known as Mittelwerk. The V-2 rocket first flew in October of 1942. Nevertheless, by late 1944, Wernher became clear that Germany could not defeat the Allied forces, so he made arrangements for his future after the war.
He had already decided that he wanted to surrender and build rockets for America when he heard that Hitler was dead on May 1, 1945. Before the Allies captured their V-2 complex, he had surrendered along with 500 other German scientists who had also been working on the same project. Wernher also surrendered test vehicles and plans for other rockets to the American army.
“The Presidential visit, “Huntsville, September 11, 1962. Credit: NASA.
Moved to America
His involvement with the defeated side in World War II, Wernher, and the other rocket scientists successfully worked for the United States government. So, in June 1945, he was transferred to America along with these specialists. He later married Maria Luise von Quistorp in 1948, and they had two daughters and a son. Wernher became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1955.
Wernher worked with the United States Army for fifteen years for the country’s construction of ballistic rockets. He was a significant part of a military operation recognized as Project Paperclip. So, along with other members of what used to be his “rocket team,” they operated in Fort Bliss, Texas.
When Did Von Braun Become Technical Director For US Army Ordnance Guided Missile Project at Redstone Arsenal?
The missiles they built for the United States were launched at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. And later, in 1950, this same team of rocket scientists moved to Alabama. Furthermore, in 1952 Wernher became technical director of the US Army Ordnance Guided Missile Project at Redstone Arsenal, close to Huntsville, Alabama. Von Braun produced the Redstone rocket, a sizeable ballistic rocket based on the German V-2 rocket.
Then, on January 31, 1958, Wernher led the rocket construction team and launched the first American artificial earth satellite, Explorer I, using a modified Redstone rocket.
When Did Wernher Join NASA?
In 1960 Wernher and his research team were transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with a mandate to develop giant rockets. Wernher became the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA, producing the famous Saturn V that would take Apollo 11 to the Moon in July 1969.
In addition to being the mastermind behind the construction of rockets, which aided the Americans in reaching the Moon, von Braun was also the leading representative of the United States for space exploration matters in the 1960s.
NASA invited him to transfer to Washington, DC, for logistical purposes in 1970. Wernher did so, leaving his home in Alabama, but his time in Washington was short-lived as he retired only two years later in 1972.
Wernher spent his last years working for the aerospace corporation Fairchild Industries of Germantown, Maryland. On June 16, 1977, he died from kidney cancer, aged 65, in Alexandria, Virginia.
When Did von Braun Work With Walt Disney
Americans met the man behind this compelling future on March 9, 1955, when von Braun appeared in the first episode of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland TV series. Viewers saw von Braun’s vision come to life with stunning animation.
Walt Disney visited Dr. Werhner von Braun in 1954. In the 1950s, von Braun worked with Disney Studio as a technical director, making three films about space exploration for television. Disney opened Disneyland the same year that von Braun worked as a technical director on three Disney TV programs about space.
The first, “Man in Space,” aired on ABC in 1955. The second, “Man and the Moon,” aired the same year, and the final film, “Mars and Beyond,” was televised on December 4, 1957. Von Braun brought the same vision to NASA when the agency absorbed his rocket group in 1960.
It is fantastic when you watch the clip below just how close von Braun’s predictions were!
“One good test is worth a thousand expert opinions.”
“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Wernher von Braun
And while NASA’s path to the Moon ultimately deviated from von Braun’s vision, he achieved his boyhood dream in 1969. To Americans, he sold the dream of men in space and flags on the Moon. And by and large, the nation bought it.
Apollo 11 moon landing was a feat that might not have been possible without von Braun’s contributions. Check out this article that reveals the inside of the Apollo Saturn V rocket and its significant components. See for yourself these fantastic drawings. You will be amazed.
Wernher Von Braun’s contributions to rocket science and space exploration were monumental. His work laid the foundation for future space exploration and influenced many who came after him, including Elon Musk.
FAQ
- Who was Wernher von Braun? Wernher von Braun was a renowned rocket scientist who made significant contributions to space exploration. He is often referred to as the “Father of Rocket Science.”
- What was Wernher von Braun’s role in the Apollo 11 mission? Wernher von Braun was one of the leading scientists that developed the Saturn V rocket, which took Apollo 11 to the Moon in July 1969.
- Did Wernher von Braun work for the Nazis? Yes, von Braun worked for the Nazis during World War II. He was the leader of the “rocket team” that developed the V-2 rocket used in the war.
- When did Wernher von Braun move to America? After World War II, von Braun and his team of rocket scientists were transferred to America in June 1945. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1955.
- What was Wernher von Braun’s role in NASA? In 1960, von Braun and his research team were transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He became the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA, producing the famous Saturn V rocket.
- Did Wernher von Braun collaborate with Walt Disney? Yes, in the 1950s, von Braun worked with Disney Studio as a technical director, making three films about space exploration for television. This collaboration helped popularize the concept of space exploration among the American public.
If you’re interested in understanding more about how these two influential figures compare, you might want to check out this article: Elon Musk vs. Wernher von Braun. It provides a fascinating comparison between the “Father of Rocket Science” and the modern visionary behind SpaceX.