Wernher von Braun

1912–1977 (age 65)

Rocket Scientist

Biography

Wernher von Braun, born in 1912, became the face of twentieth-century rocketry as he shepherded rocket design from early experiments into the era of lunar exploration, culminating in the Saturn V that carried Apollo crews beyond Earth.

After a career that spanned continents and stirred thoughtful dialogue about science and responsibility, he was laid to rest in Ivy Hill Cemetery, where admirers remember the ways he turned daring dreams about space into reality.

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