Wernher von Braun: Expanding the Boundaries of Possibility
On this day in history, the world lost a dreamer and pioneer of space travel. Wernher von Braun was a master rocket builder with a bold vision for human exploration. Leader of the American rocket team and chief architect of the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the Moon, Dr. von Braun held to a plan to expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth. Thursday morning, June 16th, 1977, Wernher von Braun died at the age of 65 from pancreatic cancer. His name will always be linked to space exploration and the application of technology to solving some of humanity’s largest engineering challenges. He left behind a legacy that forever changed the course of human space flight revealing that the impossible can be made possible; above all, he inspired generations (including me) to follow our visions and reach for the stars.
The German-born scientist was best known for two major achievements: the German V-2 rocket, a weapon of warfare that terrorized Allied forces and civilians during World War II, and the Saturn V rocket, a magnificent vehicle inspired by peaceful human adventure. Although two very different creations and still a major point of argument and debate for critics, both systems were born out of his desire for space travel.
Dr. von Braun had always been inspired by the idea of human space travel long before his career took off when he was a student, unsurprisingly enough. While a young student in Berlin, he read an article about an imaginary trip beyond Earth’s gravity to the Moon and other planets; this made a lasting impression that he later recalled:
“It filled me with a romantic urge. Interplanetary travel! Here was a task worth dedicating one’s life to. Not just stare through a telescope at the Moon and the planets but to soar through the heavens and actually explore the mysterious universe. I knew how Columbus had felt.”
From that moment on, Wernher von Braun went on to live his vision experimenting with model rockets, studying the rocket designs of the American father of rocketry, Robert Goddard, and seeking guidance from Dr. Hermann Oberth whom he helped with static fire tests of liquid-fueled rocket motors. Additionally, during his years of research as a student, Dr. von Braun experimented on mice to determine the effects higher acceleration loads (G-loads) have on organic tissues. From his experiments, he discovered that the human body could tolerate higher G-loads and determined the “safe boundaries” astronauts could handle before damage would occur. By the mid-1930s, Wernher von Braun and his experimental rocket group had successfully launched two rockets that reached heights of several kilometers; the German government intervened and forbade any additional rocket tests without specific approval and oversight of the military. Thus began Dr. von Braun’s military career.
During his military career, Dr. von Braun developed the well-known V-2 rocket, which was designed to carry warheads over 800 km (500 miles) at velocities over 5,500 kph (3,500 mph). The V-2 rocket was by far the largest rocket to launch successfully at that time, reaching almost 15 meters (50 feet) tall and weighing over 12,000 kg (27,000 pounds). Beginning in September 1944, over 5,000 rockets were launched towards Britain with over 1,100 arriving on target killing thousands of civilians and military personnel. It wasn’t until the efforts of D-Day finally pushed forward to capture the rocket launch sites that put an end to the bombardment. Dr. von Braun’s involvement with the Nazi party, and the atrocities that occurred in Germany, are still being debated. However, after his surrender to the Americans and his relocation to America under Project Paperclip, he issued several statements declaring that his role in the German National Socialist Party was undertaken only because to refuse would have ended his life and career. Dr. von Braun further emphasized his separation from his work with the German military by deciding to surrender to the Americans to relinquish the “secret of rocketry” to those “people who read the Bible.” The day he became an American citizen was “the happiest and most significant day of [his] life.”
After coming to the United States, Dr. von Braun and his team of engineers worked with the Army on the development of ballistic missiles. He became the technical director of the Army’s Ballistic Missile Agency in Alabama in 1952, developing and launching the Redstone, Juno, Jupiter-C, and Pershing rockets. Despite his continued work with military developments, Dr. von Braun never forgot his dreams of space travel. In 1952, he envisioned that in 10 to 15 years, the earth would have a space station in orbit. In a series of articles published in Collier’s Magazine, he described how astronauts would live and work in these large, doughnut-shaped orbital space stations before journeying off on missions to the Moon. He described in detail the spacecraft needed to launch these structures and imagined reusable vehicles capable of gliding back to Earth daily. This infrastructure would be used as a “springboard to man’s further ventures in outer space.” Dr. von Braun even appeared on the very first episode of Walt Disney’s Tomorrowland TV series where animations brought to life his visions for the public. Staying true to his dreams, Dr. von Braun and his team of engineers worked with the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developing a modified Redstone rocket, the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, that eventually carried Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom into space for the first and second American suborbital flights on May 5 and July 21, 1961 respectively.
Wernher von Braun’s work with the Army and NASA on early American rockets brought attention to his amazing work ethic and drive. Described by his superiors, Dr. von Braun was seen as a man who “joins technical ability, passionate optimism, immense experiences and uncanny organizing ability with the elusive power to create a team … he is the greatest element behind today’s rocketry success.” In 1962, Dr. von Braun and his team were assigned to what would later be the largest responsibility in space flight history: to develop and build the Saturn 5 rocket for the Apollo Project. It would become the largest rocket ever built (by far) with a weight of nearly 250 times the weight of the V‐2 with more than four times the power of any American or Soviet rocket launched to date.
Everything about the Saturn V was massive and an engineering feat to behold. When completed and topped by the Apollo spacecraft, it stood over 110 meters (363 feet) tall with a diameter over 10 meters wide (33 feet). The rocket required new machinery and production methods to fabricate the largest aluminum cylinder ever machined. The massive F-1 engines required an astounding 700 tons of fuel a minute meaning the five-engine cluster could drain an Olympic sized swimming pool in under 3 minutes! This massive propellant flow requirement was achieved by using some of the largest valves, each inlet as wider than a manhole covering, and fuel pumps as large refrigerators. The F-1 engines alone were larger than most trucks with each standing over 5.6 meters (18.5 ft) tall and 3.7 meters (12 feet) wide.
Dr. von Braun revolutionized the space industry inventing many of the advanced certification processes and opting for an “all-up testing method.” This method revolved around testing every component multiple times separately and then again when everything was integrated into the full vehicle. He was also a proponent of iterative design favoring a gradual development and interim innovation before advancing to the final production version. This is evident in the design stages of Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V vehicles; each of the preceding vehicles established technology and methods that would be verified and carried over to the successor.
With 13 flawless launches, Saturn V rockets sent nine crews of astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon with six of the crews landing and exploring the lunar surface. Dr. von Braun’s leadership and the amazing engineers and technicians that brought the Saturn V rocket to life paved the way for human space flight accomplishing what many thought would be impossible.
“I have learned to use the word ‘impossible’ with the greatest caution.”
~ Wernher von Braun.
After the first moon landing, Dr. von Braun was chosen to be NASA’s deputy associate administrator responsible for a new ambition to direct, plan, and promote a post‐Apollo course for the American space program: the Apollo Applications Program, which was originally conceived in 1966. With this new leadership, Dr. von Braun began the Integrated Space Program focusing on lowering the costs of space through ‘commonality’ and ‘reusability’ for a Mars mission. This Mars plan involved four key elements: the Saturn V, a Nuclear Shuttle, a Mars Module, and the Mars Excursion Module. The plan? A single flight to Mars and back. Unfortunately, despite his strategic plan of action, public and Congressional support continued to decline, as was the agency’s annual budget. In May, 1972, Dr. von Braun resigned from the agency altogether to join the Fairchild Industries Inc. aerospace company as vice president of engineering and development.
Dr. von Braun truly paved the way for modern aerospace engineering inventing many of the practices and technologies that made the first human exploration missions of the Moon possible. Although he had a troubled past and background, Dr. von Braun left behind a legacy and a dream for space exploration and expanded the boundaries of the possible for humanity. Fast forwarding to present day, I have no doubts of the profound presence and gravity Dr. von Braun had on the industry nor the captivating vision that has many continuing to look toward other worlds beyond our own. I myself sometimes wonder what Dr. von Braun would think if he lived to see the present day ‘New Space’ age. Would he enjoy the amazing engineering prowess and achievements of the Space Shuttle? Would he admire the collaboration and ingenuity of the International Space Station achieving his goal of establishing a space station with a permanent human presence in orbit? Would he be further inspired by the many worlds the Hubble Space Telescope has found or by the miles the Curiosity Rover has driven on the surface of Mars?
I think Dr. von Braun would enjoy these accomplishments and milestones of today’s space programs; however, he had a plan to accomplish these feats and more by the end of the 1970s. Dr. von Braun was a visionary who looked to the stars with an inspiring goal: “I am convinced that before the year 2000 is over, the first child will have been born on the moon.” We missed this deadline, but I am hopeful that NASA’s Artemis Moon Missions and the booming commercial aerospace industry will help us achieve the next milestones and continue to sculpt the boundaries of possibility for space exploration.
