Werner von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer[1] and space architect. He became a member of the Nazi Party and then the Allgemeine SS to support his rocket work. He led the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, and later of rocket and space technology in the US.[5]
As a young man, von Braun worked in Nazi Germany's rocket development program. He helped design and co-developed the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde Army Research Center during World War II. The V-2 became the first artificial object to travel into space by crossing the Kármán line on 20 June 1944. Following the war, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,600 other German scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip.[6] He worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile program, and he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1 in 1958. He worked with Walt Disney on a series of films, which popularized the idea of human space travel in the US and beyond from 1955 to 1957.[7]
In 1960, his group was assimilated into NASA, where he served as director of the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.[8][9] In 1967, von Braun was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering, and in 1975, he received the National Medal of Science.
Von Braun is seen by some as escaping justice for his awareness of Nazi war crimes due to the Americans' desire to beat the Soviets in the Cold War.[10][11][5] He is also sometimes described by others as the "father of space travel",[12] the "father of rocket science",[13] or the "father of the American lunar program".[10] Towards the end of his career, he also advocated a human mission to Mars.
Sorry, PCINTERN, I just cannot conflate the two. Yes, he was German. Yes he became an aerospace engineer and was thus assimilated into Hitler's scientific development. Might he have emigrated/escaped to avoid that? I don't know. But, it is not clear the extent as described: "awareness of Nazi war crimes due to American's desire to beat the Soviets in the Cold War " was designed to aid prior Nazi officials from facing justice by Americans, Europeans, or Soviets post WWII. If you study Nuremberg (as I have) there was little consideration to trying those who did not personally participate in all that we now consider to be Holocaust. His scientific endeavors certainly aided the war effort. No doubt, but, I think this is a "Sophie's Choice" for the US faced with these scientists and their abilities that could guide US military and scientific efforts or to allow other nations (including USSR) from garnering them first. Someone was going to. I am conflicted. But, I do see differences.
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