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.

Legacy

Von Braun, an excellent scientist, left the world a twofold legacy. Especially in the US, he is considered a pioneer of the exploration of space. His second great achievement was the development of the first American ICBMs. On the other hand, he has been under criticism for his cooperation with the Nazis and the use of slave labour for the assembly of V-2 rockets during the war. He, like Werner Heisenberg, Abram Fedorovich Ioffe, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, has been accused of serving any aims, heedless of their moral acceptability, provided that his research was funded.

Related Topics:
ICBM - Werner Heisenberg - Abram Fedorovich Ioffe - J. Robert Oppenheimer

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