“You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering”.
This quotation from Wernher von Braun perhaps explains his lifelong pursuit of developing rocket technology for the exploration of outer space. This intelligent and brilliant individual dedicated his life towards that endeavor.
Born in Wirsitz in 1912, then a part of the German Empire, von Braun was the second of three sons. Belonging to a minor aristocratic family, he inherited the German title of Freiherr (equivalent to Baron) through his father who served as a civil servant during the Weimar Republic. Growing up in Berlin, a 12 year old Wernher caused a major disruption in a crowded street by detonating a toy wagon to which he had attached a number of fireworks. After setting the rockets off, the wagon roared five blocks into the center of his home town and exploded. The toy wagon was a charred wreck. Although he was strongly reprimanded by his father, von Braun’s interests would not be discouraged. Taken into custody by the local police, he was held until his father was able to secure his release.
Von Braun was an accomplished amateur musician able to play Beethoven and Bach from memory. He learned to play the cello and the piano and originally desired to become a composer. Attending a boarding school in 1925 he did not do well in physics and mathematics. Later, however, he was inspired by the writings of rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth. He then diligently applied himself to his studies and developed his lifelong interest in rocket engineering.
As a youth, von Braun was fascinated by the writings of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, fully aware that they were science fiction. He mastered calculus and trigonometry in order to better study the physics of potential space travel and the use of rocketry. In 1932, at the age of 20, he received his bachelor’s degree from the Berlin Institute of Technology, and two years later received his doctorate in physics at the University of Berlin. By 1936, von Braun was directing Germany’s military rocket development program. His brother, Magnus, seven years younger, would later become a member of the research team.
In the 1930’s, soaring or motorless flying was a pastime for many German youth, and von Braun was among them. This activity undoubtedly added to his high interest in flight and the great unknown of space. Were it not for Germany’s military preparation and the ensuing conflict, Wernher von Braun would be universally recognized without discord for his great achievements. But war intervened and he would become highly controversial for his impact on the German military machine.
For much of the two decades following the end of World War I, the world made little note of Adolph Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. That would soon change.
Wings Over Cumberland 