Wernher Von Braun Letter

Wernher von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect known for his contributions to rocket technology in both Nazi Germany and the United States. Born on March 23, 1912, in Germany, he played a leading role in the development of the V-2 rocket during World War II. As a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, he was involved in Germany’s military rocket program at Peenemünde. The V-2 rocket became the first human-made object to reach space in 1944.

After World War II, von Braun was brought to the United States through Operation Paperclip, along with other German scientists, to work on American missile and space programs. He contributed to the development of the United States' first space satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. He also collaborated with Walt Disney in the 1950s to popularize space travel.

In 1960, von Braun and his team joined NASA, where he became the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center and was the chief architect of the Saturn V rocket, which enabled the Apollo missions to land humans on the Moon. He continued advocating for space exploration, including human missions to Mars. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 1967 and awarded the National Medal of Science in 1975.