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Wernher von Braun

VAIR-nuhr fon BROWN
Also Known As Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun

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Ascending Finned Rocket

A German-American aerospace engineer who led the team that developed the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany during the Second World War, then emigrated to the United States, where he led the development of the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the Moon. His wartime role, including the use of forced labor in V-2 production, remains a debated part of his legacy.

Facts
Birth Date
1912-03-23 1
Birth Year
1912 2
Death Date
1977-06-16 1
Death Year
1977 2
Nationality
German, later American 1
Defining Contribution
Chief architect of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo Moon missions 3
Notable Work
Chief architect of the Saturn V rocket for NASA's Apollo program 2
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Hermann Oberth, Pioneers

Oberth mentored von Braun in the German rocketry societies of the late 1920s; von Braun later called Oberth the man who first showed him that spaceflight was an engineering problem, not a dream.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
NASA, Space Agencies and Companies

Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and chief architect of the Saturn V.

Source A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo AstronautsAndrew Chaikin
Robert Goddard, Pioneers

Von Braun and the German rocket program read Goddard's published work; Hermann Oberth had Goddard's 1919 paper translated for von Braun.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Saturn V, Spacecraft

Chief architect of the rocket's design.

Source A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo AstronautsAndrew Chaikin
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (born)
Quote, Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (born)
23 March 1912
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (died)
Quote, Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (died)
16 June 1977
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (full name)
Quote, Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (full name)
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWernher von Braun, Wikipedia - American career section
Quote, Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - American career section
The V-2 was a quantum leap of technological change. We got to the Moon using V-2 technology but this was technology that was developed with massive resources.
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Hermann Oberth, Hermann Oberth, lead section
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Robert Goddard, Robert H. Goddard, Wikipedia - A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes section
Quote, Associated With: Robert Goddard, Robert H. Goddard, Wikipedia - A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes section
Oberth had Goddard's 1919 paper translated and Wernher von Braun read it.
3. A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Andrew Chaikin
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