Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.
A former member of the Nazi party, commissioned Sturmbannführer of the paramilitary SS and decorated Nazi war hero, von Braun would later be regarded as the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century in his role with the United States civilian space agency NASA. In his 20s and early 30s, von Braun was the central figure in Germany's 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 taken to the U.S. as part of the then-secret Operation Paperclip. Von Braun worked on the US Army intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) program before his group was assimilated by NASA, under which he served as director of the newly-formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. According to one NASA source, he is "without doubt, the greatest rocket scientist in history. His crowning achievement was to lead the development of the Saturn V booster rocket that helped land the first men on the Moon in July 1969." In 1975 he received the National Medal of Science.
This is exactly why I love used book stores! Written as a series of articles throughout the '60s by Dr Strangelove himself Dr. Wernher Von Braun, this book was fascinating at the time for explaining the mechanics and science behind the space race, and now even more fascinating for showing us what they knew (and didn't know) while mounting the coolest expedition ever. The books latest sections were written before Neil Armstrong's walk, so it's fascinating to consider what they were worrying about (will the moon's surface be hard enough?) and the conjectures, (e.g. when we'd mount a manned trip to Mars: 1986) bring a smile
Fascinating look into where things were at during the space race. I wish I were a little more versed in our current space travel abilities so that I could contrast it all better. Even so, it was still really nice to read about what they were doing at the time and additionally read about Von Braun’s predictions for how the journey to space would grow even after the moon landing.
Von Braun himself is something of a legend (for better or for worse), so I was really interested in hearing these explanations in his own words and to get a better sense of what he was like. He led a very interesting life, one that I’m sure we only know the tip of the iceberg about.
Fascinating book. Even though many of the topics have been overcome by time or technology, it's great to see how Von Braun described these concepts to the general public. There are several good nuggets where he mentions concepts we should be pursuing now in our space program but are not. Very worthwhile read.