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, German Empire (now Wyrzysk, Poland)
Died	June 16, 1977(1977-06-16) (aged 65) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Burial place	Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)[1]
Citizenship	Germany, United States (after 1955)
Alma mater	Technical University of Berlin
Occupation(s)	Rocket engineer and designer, aerospace project manager
Spouse	Maria Luise von Quistorp ​ ​ (m. 1947⁠–⁠1977)​
Children	Three
Parents	Magnus von Braun (1878–1972) Emmy von Quistorp (1886–1959)
Awards	Elliott Cresson Medal (1962) Wilhelm Exner Medal (1969)[2] National Medal of Science (1975)
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 (23 March 1912–16 June 1977)^[3] was a German engineer and scientist. He worked as a rocket designer between the 1930s and 1970s.^[4] Some people say he was the most important rocket engineer of the 20th century.^[5] He worked for the Nazis during World War II. After World War II, he went to the United States. There, he worked for NASA. In 1955, ten years after entering the country, von Braun became a US citizen.

He was one of the developers of the V-2 rocket, the first rocket to fly up to outer space.^[6] He also developed the Saturn V rocket, which took people to the moon in 1969.^[3]

1. ↑ Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria, VA., Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 48952). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ Editor, ÖGV. (2015). Wilhelm Exner Medal. Austrian Trade Association. ÖGV. Austria.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "Biography of Wernher von Braun in German" (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Archived from the original on 2014-08-17. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
4. ↑ "Biography of Wernher von Braun". NASA. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
5. ↑ "From the SS to Citizenship to the Moon: von Braun's Odyssey" (PDF). The National Archives in the Regions. National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-08. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
6. ↑ "Wernher von Braun, a biography" (in German). who's who.de. Retrieved 2009-04-24.