9 min read
Reading time
1,782
Words
Published
15
Film credits
8
Books
14
Awards
Wernher von Braun designed the Saturn V launch vehicle that propelled Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. He led Nazi Germany’s V-2 rocket development at Peenemünde during World War II. After the war, von Braun came to the United States under Operation Paperclip and developed the Redstone rocket that launched America’s first satellite Explorer 1 in 1958. In 1960 his team transferred to NASA, where he became director of the Marshall Space Flight Center. He received the National Medal of Science in 1975.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Wernher von Braun — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Wernher von Braun by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Wernher von Braun — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At age 13, Wernher von Braun strapped six skyrocket fireworks to a red toy wagon; the wagon exploded in the center of town. The son of Emmy and Magnus von Braun, he was born in Wirsitz, West Prussia now Poland on March 23, 1912, and dreamed early of rocketry. He joined the German Rocket Society in 1929 and earned a bachelor’s degree from the Berlin Institute of Technology in 1932, followed by a PhD in physics from the University of Berlin in 1934.
Von Braun worked at Peenemünde on the V-2 rocket, a long-range ballistic missile used by Nazi Germany. After World War II, he and about 1,600 German scientists transferred to the United States under Operation Paperclip. For the U.S. Army, he developed the Redstone rocket, first tested in August 1953 at Cape Canaveral; a modified Redstone put Explorer 1, America’s first satellite, into orbit on January 31, 1958. Between 1955 and 1957, von Braun collaborated with Walt Disney on a series of films that popularized human space travel. In 1960 his group joined NASA, where he directed the Marshall Space Flight Center and oversaw development of the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle that carried Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.
Von Braun married Maria Luise von Quistorp on March 1, 1947, and they had one child, Margrit von Braun. He had two siblings, Magnus and Sigismund von Braun. During the Nazi era, von Braun was a member of the Nazi Party and the SS. He retired from NASA on June 10, 1972, then worked in the private sector and promoted the National Space Institute. A cancer diagnosis forced his retirement on December 31, 1976, and he died a year later.
Von Braun’s rocket design legacy includes the V-2, the Redstone, the Jupiter-C, and the Saturn V. The National Academy of Engineering inducted him in 1967 and he received the National Medal of Science in 1975. He also earned the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and a place in the International Space Hall of Fame. His advocacy for a human mission to Mars influenced later space exploration goals. His rocket designs made the Apollo Moon landings possible.
Browse the complete filmography of Wernher von Braun — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Could not load more credits.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Wernher von Braun — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Wernher von Braun's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
Could not load more books.
Little-known facts about Wernher von Braun — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
In 1929, he joined the Verein für Raumschiffahrt, the German Rocket Society founded in 1927. Von Braun became director of Germany’s military rocket development program in 1936. As the Nazi war machine collapsed, Berlin authorities ordered the destruction of all classified documents; von Braun hid them in an abandoned mine. On May 2, 1945, his rocket team surrendered to U.S. forces and transferred to the US with about 150 captured V-2 rockets.
Von Braun retired from NASA on June 10, 1972. He then worked in the private sector and helped establish the National Space Institute. A cancer diagnosis forced him to retire permanently on December 31, 1976.
In 1960 his team transferred to NASA, forming the nucleus of the Marshall Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama. There he oversaw the development of the Saturn I, Saturn IB, and the Saturn V rocket that put astronauts on the Moon.
Von Braun’s team built America’s first ballistic missile, the Redstone. The first Redstone test occurred at Cape Canaveral in August 1953. On January 31, 1958, a modified Redstone Jupiter C placed the first American satellite, Explorer I, into orbit.
As a boy, von Braun dreamed of exploring space with rockets. At age 13 he attached six skyrockets to a toy wagon, which sped into town and exploded.
Von Braun received his bachelor’s degree from the Berlin Institute of Technology in 1932 and a PhD in physics from the University of Berlin two years later.
Singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer included a song titled Wernher Von Braun on his album That Was the Year that Was.
Von Braun was also mentioned in an Allan Sherman song called Oh Boy.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Wernher von Braun.
Celebrities similar to Wernher von Braun — same craft, ranked by reach.
🇫🇷 France
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
