Wernher von Braun
Also known as Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun, Werner von Braun
German and later American aerospace engineer and space architect (1912–1977)
AI overview
Wernher von Braun was a German-born engineer who became one of the most influential figures in space exploration, designing rockets for Nazi Germany during World War II and later leading the American space program during the Cold War and Apollo missions. His career raises important questions about technology, ethics, and how societies reckon with the legacies of individuals who made significant scientific contributions while working under morally compromised regimes.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1912-03-23
- Died
- 1977-06-16
- Works
- 20
Top works
- Griff nach den Sternen
- Why must we conquer space?
- Das Marsprojekt
- History of rocketry & space travel
- The Exploration of Mars
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Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 104
- Total plays
- 136
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Hity Polskiego Internetu
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Article
Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( US: /ˈvɜːrnər vɒn ˈbraʊn/ VUR-nər von BROWN; German: [ˈvɛʁnheːɐ̯ fɔn ˈbʁaʊn]; 23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977) was a German American aerospace engineer and space architect. He became a member of the Nazi Party and then the Allgemeine SS to support his rocket work. He led the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, and later of rocket and space technology in the US.
As a young man, von Braun worked in Nazi Germany's rocket development program. He helped design and co-developed the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde Army Research Center during World War II. The V-2 became the first artificial object to travel into space by crossing the Kármán line on 20 June 1944. Following the war, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,600 other German scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip. He worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile program, and he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1 in 1958. He worked with Walt Disney on a series of films, which popularized the idea of human space travel in the US and beyond from 1955 to 1957.
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1912 births1977 deaths20th-century American architects20th-century American engineers20th-century American physicists20th-century American writers20th-century German architects20th-century German engineers20th-century German inventors20th-century German physicistsAmerican aerospace engineersAmerican people imprisoned in Germany