Wernher von Braun

Wernher von Braun
Von Braun in 1960
Born	Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun (1912-03-23)March 23, 1912 Wirsitz, Posen Province, Prussia, Germany
Died	June 16, 1977(1977-06-16) (aged 65) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Alexandria
Nationality	German, American
Citizenship	Germany United States (after 1955)
Alma mater	Technical University of Berlin
Occupation	Rocket engineer and designer, aerospace project manager
Spouse(s)	Maria Luise von Quistorp (m. 1947–77)
Children	Iris Careen von Braun Margrit Cecile von Braun Peter Constantine von Braun
Parent(s)	Magnus von Braun (1878–1972) Emmy von Quistorp (1886–1959)
Awards	Elliott Cresson Medal (1962) Wilhelm Exner Medal (1969) National Medal of Science (1975)
Military career
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	SS
Years of service	1937–45
Rank	SS-Sturmbannführer (major)
Awards	Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords (1944) War Merit Cross, First Class with Swords (1943)
Other work	Rocket engineer, NASA, Chief Architect of the Saturn V rocket of the Apollo manned lunar missions, engineering program manager

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German, later American, aerospace engineer and space architect credited with inventing the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany and the Saturn V for the United States. He was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany, where he was a member of the Nazi Party and the SS.

Following World War II, he was secretly moved to the United States, along with about 1,500 other scientists, engineers, and technicians, as part of Operation Paperclip, where he developed the rockets that launched the United States' first space satellite Explorer 1, and the Apollo program manned lunar landings.

In his twenties and early thirties, von Braun worked in Germany's rocket development program, where he helped design and develop the V-2 rocket at Peenemünde during World War II. Following the war, von Braun worked for the United States Army on an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) program before his group was assimilated into NASA. Under NASA, he served as director of the newly formed Marshall Space Flight Center and as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. In 1975, he received the National Medal of Science. He continued insisting on the human mission to Mars throughout his life.

Wernher von Braun was born on 23 March 1912 in the small town of Wirsitz (now Wyrzyce, Poland), in the Posen Province, of the former German Empire. He was the second of three sons. He belonged to a noble family, inheriting the German title of Freiherr (equivalent to Baron).