The team of scientists led by von Braun came to the United States in 1945 and was located in Fort Bliss, Texas. A short time later they were moved to White Sands, New Mexico where they were to stay until 1950. It was a difficult time. Lonely and discouraged, initially they were left to tinker with their captured A-4’s, which they had retained and brought from Germany. They also were able to teach rocketry to those in the army who were interested. Many people were suspicious and found it hard to believe that the scientists had fully transferred their loyalties from the Nazis to the US. It was largely through the efforts of the charismatic leadership of von Braun that the team gradually gained respect as he worked tirelessly to create goodwill.
During this time, von Braun mailed a marriage proposal to a beautiful, blond 18 year old Maria von Quirstorp. Maria was a second cousin to von Braun who remained in Germany. The proposal was accepted and the couple were married in March 1947 at a Lutheran church. This happy union produced three children, The first child a daughter, Iris, was born at the Fort Bliss Army hospital.
Von Braun was a social charmer, who often got his best ideas late at night. The tall, blond genius had an unquenchable enthusiasm for space flight. The relocation did not stop his desire to pursue the goals of his dedicated team, and the fact that they were able to bring much of their previous research with them greatly aided this effort.
In April 1950 von Braun and his team moved to Huntsville, Alabama, which was to remain his home for the next 20 years. On April 14, 1955, Dr. von Braun became a naturalized United States citizen, a milestone in his life. He and his group became known as the Huntsville gang. After years of dedication, a satellite (Juno 1) was launched in January 1958. This is what he would say about the accomplishment, “It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I only regret we did not do it earlier.” It was then that he became widely known and respected and thus an instant hero. Another quotation from von Braun best summarizes his current outlook on life, “Late to bed, and early to rise. Work like hell, and advertise!”
The impact of the presence of the rocket team on American space technology has been notable and well chronicled. Dr. Wernher von Braun deserves much of the credit as the leader of this group of scientists and engineers and their accomplishments. His charisma, vision, and technical and managerial abilities were the driving force behind these activities. Many team members could have pursued more lucrative jobs in the private sector but were enticed to stay on with von Braun. Wernher had a grandiose vision of the space program and the great unknown outside of planet earth. Work in the Apollo space program followed as the United States caught up with Russia. In 1969, the successful completion of the lunar landing was the crowning achievement for the German-American team of rocket engineers and space scientists.
Unfortunately, in early 1970 von Braun’s vision seemed to differ from NASA and he subsequently retired from the agency in June 1972. He became the vice-president of Fairchild Industries in Germantown, Maryland. Continuing his lifelong interest, he was active in establishing and promoting the National Space Institute. In 1977, President Gerald Ford presented the National Medal of Science to von Braun. The lifetime goals of Wernher von Braun were in large part accomplished. But his profound interest in rocketry and space exploration would remain with him throughout his lifetime.
Ever the scientist, another of Wernher von Braun’s quotations is worthy of note, “All of man’s scientific and engineering efforts will be in vain unless they are performed and utilized within a framework of ethical standards commensurate with the magnitude of the scope of the technological revolution. The more technology advances, the more fateful will be its impact on humanity.”
In the same vein von Braun stated, “If the world’s ethical standards fail to rise with the advances of our technological revolution; the world will go to hell. Let us remember that in the horse-and-buggy days nobody got hurt if the coachman had a drink too many. In our time of high-powered automobiles, however, that same drink may be fatal…”
Wings Over Cumberland 