Pioneer

Wernher von Braun

VAIR-nuhr fon BROWN
Also Known As Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun
Spacecraft and Rocket Engineers
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
Connections

Associated With

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)
Additional Source Wernher von Braun (Wikipedia)Hermann Oberth, lead section
Klaus Riedel, Pioneers

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

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)
Additional Source Wikipedia: Robert H. GoddardRobert H. Goddard, Wikipedia - A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes section
Rudolf Nebel, Pioneers
Saturn V, Spacecraft

Chief architect of the rocket's design.

Source A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo AstronautsAndrew Chaikin
Willy Ley, Pioneers
In the Other Atlases

Nationality

Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.

Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
  • Birth Date: 1912-03-23
  • Death Date: 1977-06-16
  • Nationality: German, later American
View the Source
2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Birth Year: 1912
  • Death Year: 1977
  • Notable Work: Chief architect of the Saturn V rocket for NASA's Apollo program
3. A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
Andrew Chaikin
  • Defining Contribution: Chief architect of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo Moon missions
Wernher von Braun (Wikipedia)
  • Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (born)
    23 March 1912
  • Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (died)
    16 June 1977
  • Wernher von Braun, Wikipedia - infobox (full name)
    Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun
  • 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.
  • Associated With: Hermann Oberth, Hermann Oberth, lead section
  • In Group: German Rocket Engineers, Lead sentence
    Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (US: VUR-nər von BROWN; German: [ˈvɛʁnheːɐ̯ fɔn ˈbʁaʊn]; 23 March 1912-16 June 1977) was a German American aerospace engineer and space architect.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Robert H. Goddard
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.
View the Source
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