Space Travel: A History

Born in Wirsitz, Germany, Wernher Von Braun studied engineering at Berlin and Zurich. In 1937 he became technical director of the Nazi rocket program at Peenemunde (on the shores of the Baltic Sea). Von Braun's engineering team pioneered the development and production of the V-2 rockets, which were launched against England during World War II. Von Braun and most of his engineering development team surrendered to the Americans in the closing days of the war, determining that the United States was more likely to continue aerospace research and development. He became a naturalized citizen in 1955 and a director of the U.S. Army's Ballistic Missile Agency at Huntsville, Alabama. Responding to congressional concern following the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, Von Braun and his engineers rapidly developed the Explorer 1 rocket, which was used to launch the first successful American satellite. Von Braun also was director of the Marshal Space Flight Center from 1960 to 1970. While there, he helped develop the Saturn rocket for the Apollo 8 moon landing in 1969.