Wernher von Braun

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr¹ von Braun (March 23 1912 – June 16 1977) was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. Originally a German scientist leading Nazi Germany's rocket program before and during the Second World War, he entered the United States at the end of the war through the then-secret Operation Paperclip. He became a naturalized US citizen and worked on the American ICBM program before joining NASA. Today he is generally regarded as the father of the United States space program.

Early life

Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz, East Prussia (now Wyrzysk, Poland). Upon his Lutheran confirmation his mother gave him a telescope and he discovered a passion for astronomy and the realm of space. When, as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, Wirsitz became part of Poland in 1920, his family, like many other German families, moved. They settled in Berlin where at first von Braun did not do well in physics and mathematics until he acquired a copy of the book Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket into Interplanetary Space) by rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth. From then on he applied himself at school in order to understand physics and mathematics. One anecdote from this period is the time the 16 year old von Braun caused a major disruption by firing off a toy wagon to which he had attached a number of firecrackers. The young von Braun was taken into custody by the local police until his father came to collect him.

Related Topics:
Wirsitz - East Prussia - Wyrzysk - Poland - Lutheran - Telescope - Treaty of Versailles - 1920 - Berlin - Physics - Mathematics - Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen - Hermann Oberth - Firecracker

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In 1930 von Braun attended the Berlin Institute of Technology where he joined the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR, the "Spaceflight Society") and assisted Hermann Oberth in liquid-fuelled rocket motor tests. After receiving his degree he commenced postgraduate studies at Berlin University, earning a doctorate in physics in 1934.

Related Topics:
1930 - Berlin Institute of Technology - Verein für Raumschiffahrt - Hermann Oberth - Berlin University - Doctorate - Physics - 1934

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