It seemed that as soon as the Apollo 11 broke away from the launch platform, the world entered a new era of space exploration. Among the people who watched the launch from the launch room 30 years ago was Dr. Werner von Braun - the creator of the Saturn rocket, on which astronauts were supposed to go to the moon. He promised that this space journey would open new frontiers for man. From the surface of the earth, ships will set off to plow the universe, benefiting science and all of humanity. Von Braun became the new Columbus for America.
Werner von Braun and his dreams of space
Werner von Braun, whose biography is revealed in the article, dreamed about space from childhood. He lived to make his dream a reality. He believed that flying into space is a necessary step in the evolution of mankind, and fate will help him take this step. However, the new dawn of science has become for some people a painful memory of years of exhausting labor, almost as slaves.
Werner von Braun, whose photo you see, was a very intelligent person. He wanted to build a rocket at all costs. He believed that the fate of mankind is the conquest of Cosmos, and was ready to pay for it. The biography of Werner von Braun became an endless crusade. He was ready for anything, just to make a breakthrough into space. The spacecraft he created to fly to the moon based on a ballistic missile was a new step in evolution. While Brown himself took a step from the Nazi to a NASA employee.
Werner von Braun family
Interest in the stars arose at Werner in Berlin in the 20s. He was born into an aristocratic German family. For many centuries their land belonged to the east in Germany. As minister, the head of the family moved to his Berlin residence. Werner was the second of his three sons. Great attention was paid to raising children in the family. It was thanks to this that Werner had an interest in stars. When he became a teenager, this interest transformed into a fascination with rockets. Werner's interest was shared by thousands of his fellow citizens. Many believed that a sufficiently large rocket would lift anything. During World War I, a rocket was used as a weapon. Now, embraced by another utopian idea, people believed that it would help them open the doors to a new peaceful era. The work of rocketry enthusiasts inspired von Braun and his brother to do their own experiments. They built a small rocket launcher of fireworks. She crashed into the basement window of a grocery store, and her father said that this was the end of the space epic for the brothers. Werner did not stop it.
Ideas by Hermann Obert
The fascination with rockets grew into an interest in astronomy when his parents presented the boy with a telescope. Then Werner fell into the hands of a book that described how to use a liquid fuel rocket for interplanetary flights. The ideas of Obert, the author of the book, reached the general public later, when he was invited by the technical consultant Fritz Lang "Woman on the Moon." The film showed the process of preparing a liquid fuel rocket for flight.
The film told what needs to be done to launch a rocket. A multi-stage rocket rose into the air, its steps fell off - the viewer got an idea of ââweightlessness. To some extent, this film foresaw events that would occur 50-60 years later. It was a prophetic film, and people could see what would happen in the future. This film irrevocably changed the biography of Werner von Braun. From now on, he began to call Hermann Obert his guiding star.
At school, von Braun began writing about space travel. Werner von Braun's quotes began to repeat all around. âUndoubtedly,â he wrote, âone day a man will set foot on the moon.â He was a talented student. The comrades recognized his desire for leadership. After school, von Braun joined a group of rocket science enthusiasts and began designing his own liquid fuel rockets. He did not tire of repeating to his colleagues that soon they would become living witnesses of the first flight into space. It seemed to many that he had gone mad and wasting his time. Von Braun liked to repeat that for the sake of success he was ready for a lot.
Cooperation with the Nazis
Hitler was impressed with Brown's success, but he was not satisfied with the speed of work. In the official photo, Werner von Braun barely found the strength to smile. The meeting was not very good. Hitler said he was not interested in discoveries that would take years to complete. Six months later, Germany entered the war with England and the allies. Work on the rocket went at an accelerated pace. The war did not affect von Braun's dedication to work. He was about 30 years old and suddenly in his hands were almost unlimited funds for development. Caring primarily for the rocket, in 1937 von Braun joined the National Socialist Party.
Heinrich Himmler invited him to join the SS. This was good for the missile program, and Werner agreed. 5 years after the start of work, the rocket was ready for testing. October 3, 1942 the launch of "A-4". The Nazis could celebrate the creation of new weapons. However, for von Braun and his associates, this was only the first step on the path to space travel. They did not seem to realize that they had created a terrible weapon. Werner von Braun was determined. He assured that the help of the Nazis was just a necessary evil that would help him fulfill his dream immediately after the end of the war.
The Instrument of Retribution
After the first launch, luck seemed to have turned its back on scientists - of the 11 subsequent launches, only two were partially successful. It was necessary to enlist the support of Hitler. Von Braun feared that sooner or later Hitler would lose his patience and cover up the project. They went to a demonstration that could catch Hitlerâs attention. In a public cinema at Hitler's headquarters, von Braun held one of the most important meetings of his life. He demonstrated a record of a successful launch. The title of the film reminded the FĂźhrer of his premature skepticism.
He said: "We have succeeded!". Hitler changed his mind after the presentation of the film. He said that this film is of national importance and should immediately be distributed to raise morale. Rocket "A-4" was renamed to reflect the hope of the Fuhrer. Now it began to be called the âInstrument of Retribution," with which Hitler hoped to win the war.
Work in a concentration camp
The Werner von Braun rocket was built at a secret underground factory in the Harz Mountains. For work on the rocket, a concentration camp was created. At first it was necessary to expand the underground tunnel. For 5 months, 8 thousand people practically did not see the daylight, digging this tunnel. They were extremely brutally abused by SS guards who monitored their work. In the works from overwork thousands of people died. Many were killed by the guards.
Von Braun frequented the tunnel. Recently discovered documents confirm that he was present at meetings when the use of slave labor was discussed. At one of these meetings, it was decided to replace the deceased prisoners with two thousand French prisoners. In addition, von Braun often visited the Buchenwald concentration camp, which was located nearby.
First rocket strike
The first V-2 missiles were launched around London on the evening of September 8, 1944. A new era of warfare has begun. A missile strike claimed the lives of 5 thousand people. Almost all of them are civilians. Von Braun, who worked on the development, seemed surprised by the launch results. He said this should not have happened. He built a rocket to get to the moon, and not take other people's lives. Sometimes Brown began to realize that the Nazis were losing the war and made plans how to do without their support.
At one of the parties, Werner imprudently spoke about his fears. The conversation was handed over to the FĂźhrer, and Brown spent two weeks in custody. However, very soon he returned Hitlerâs disposition and he granted Werner the highest award civilians were awarded for their loyalty to the Reich. However, this did not affect Brown's skepticism regarding the outcome of the war. These interesting facts about Werner von Braun will not go unnoticed.
Former Opponents - New Allies
In the winter of the 44th, he cautiously interviewed his colleagues to find out who was willing to work for the enemy. Von Braun decided that he could continue to work in America. No other country could afford the development of such a large-scale project. When Soviet troops came close to the Peenemuende training ground, a decision was made to evacuate. The USSR was impressed by the rocket no less than the United States. However, the transfer of development to the Russians was out of the question. Everyone was interested in the rocket.
After the war, the Russians had a wanted list of people, and von Braun stood in first place. When Hitler's death was officially announced, von Braun entered into an agreement with the American army. The biography of Werner von Braun changed dramatically at that moment. Former opponents fulfilled all the wishes of scientists. Werner, as well as key people in the project, were asked to sign contracts with the American army. A month earlier, the Americans liberated Mittelwerk. There they found only living skeletons.
During the production of weapons killed more than 20 thousand people. Half of them are during the work on V-2. However, the US Army was not interested in ethical issues. They needed Werner von Braun, and the CIA began to search for compromising evidence in the German archives. Documents found were destroyed. This was not mentioned in military reports. A few months after the end of the war, von Braun and his colleagues were again on horseback. The leadership in every possible way encouraged intense experiments, trying to win the war. 70 missiles were delivered to the desert of New Mexico.
The main task of von Braun was training in military rocket science. However, he had enough time to dream about space flights. Von Braun got this opportunity thanks to the threat of war. The Soviet Union terrified the United States with its military power. By the 50th year, communism began to punish America as the main threat to prosperity. To end the Cold War, they needed new missiles capable of taking a nuclear warhead aboard. A new alliance appeared in the arena in the person of Werner von Braun and the USA.
Huntsville new landfill
The landfill was moved south, to Alabama, to Huntsville - a small poor town with a population of less than 20 thousand people. For several decades, he was to become a city of rockets. On the outskirts, the army deployed its arsenals. Finally, a truly large project fell into the hands of von Braun. Thousands of Americans worked on the creation of the Redstone rocket under the guidance of German scientists, but von Braun intended to crush national barriers. He stopped wearing a leather coat.
Brown's accent did not disappear, but he spoke good English. He started a family. Three years before moving to Hutsville, he married his cousin. Werner von Braun and his wife moved to Huntsville, his second daughter was already born there. Then he had a son. Von Braun's efforts to become part of the world around him were rewarded. Scientists have accepted American citizenship. The past is far behind. Maria von Braun - Werner von Braun's wife supported her husband in all his projects and endeavors.
As technical director of the Missile Arms Administration, von Braun was able to lobby for the interests of the space program. He has already managed to interest the world in rockets. Now he was trying to draw attention to the stars. It was necessary to find an approach to taxpayers. He believed that it was impossible to succeed if you did not put in the souls of people craving for uncharted space. Von Braun himself was faced with a difficult task - to put into reality the plots of science fiction films.
Von Braun became a missionary for interplanetary travel. Werner von Braun's famous flight projects to Mars and the Moon are made public. His first achievement was a series of articles in a famous magazine. He introduced readers to his vision of a future world. The journey to the stars will begin with a huge four-stage rocket that will launch a satellite, and then a space station. Man will go to the moon and to Mars. However, von Braunâs dreams were not a utopia of peaceful coexistence in space. Missiles could be used to launch nuclear warheads. For readers of the magazine this was a revelation.
USSR one step ahead
However, despite all the efforts of von Braun to court the Americans, the USSR took the first step into space. On September 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite was launched. The success of the USSR led to the start of the space race Werner von Braun and Korolev became the main rivals .. The national pride of the Americans suffered even more when the rocket created for the first launch of the Avangard satellite exploded right on the launch pad. As von Braun predicted. This opened up new opportunities for Werner. Peaceful cooperation has been forgotten. Von Braun and the military had to save the reputation of American technology. In January 1959, the first American satellite was launched.
Von Braun was almost 47 years old - he managed to achieve worldwide fame and recognition. Success inspired Werner, and he was already planning an expansion of the space program. However, the president was not impressed and did not support the idea of ââmanned space flight. He was more attracted to the use of satellites for scientific purposes. Von Braun and his followers held a romantic point of view regarding rocket science. Despite the presidentâs skepticism, the training of astronauts began. In the 59th year, it was decided to launch a von Braun rocket.
Flight of Yuri Gagarin
The project has become part of the new national space agency, known as NASA. Von Braun finally got the opportunity he had long dreamed of. However, he again had to catch up with his competitors. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin spent two hours in Earth orbit. Celebrations in Moscow were broadcast around the world. The prestige of America was dealt another blow. He was especially acutely felt by the new president, John F. Kennedy.
The following month, the first American astronaut entered orbit on a von Braun rocket, but only for a few minutes. Von Braun was sure that there was only one way around the Soviet Union - the first to land a man on the moon. From that moment on, Werner von Braun - the man who sold the moon (as Denis Pashkevich will call him in his famous book) put all his strength into this dream.
Flight to the moon
In 1962, Kennedy visited Huntsville to find out how things were going. 20 years after working on a rocket for Hitler, von Braun was again in his element. His team designed the giant three-stage rocket Saturn-5. Its height was above 100 m. There was no similar engineering structure in America yet. Over the next 10 years, von Braun's astronauts had to master the depths of the universe. The moon was the first on the list of priorities. However, the scientistâs ambitions knew no bounds - he was already planning the next step.
On the morning of July 16, 1969, millions of people gathered on the coast of Florida. All eyes were fixed on the Apollo 11 rocket. The culmination of what von Braun worked for years came. Von Braun watched his bird take off from the ground. He has repeatedly said in the press that a new era has entered the development of mankind. The rocket that he created with his colleagues carried the man into a brighter future.
At that very moment, von Braunâs past threatened his triumph. His fame attracted the attention of those who also had a chance to play a role in the creation of the spacecraft. The past von Braun was buried 25 years ago, but the protests of the prisoners who took part in the construction of the V-2 have reached the limit. Von Braun was asked to speak before a wartime crime court. Formally, no charges were brought against him, but former prisoners considered him morally responsible for their suffering.
Von Braun's Career Sunset
Thanks to the successful launch, Werner von Braun, the man who sold the moon, opened up new horizons. NASA invited him to start all over again. He was to leave his colleagues and the city that he helped found. However, by the time he arrived in Washington, the situation had changed. The country was already the leader in the space race, and politicians wanted to spend taxpayer money on more urgent needs.
Even von Braun could not persuade them to finance a flight to Mars. After spending two fruitless years at NASA, von Braun filed a resignation letter. His dream ended, but the biography of Werner von Braun will forever remain in the memory of his followers.