To view items in this collection, use the Online Finding Aid

Dr. Michael Neufeld, a retired curator of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum, completed his biography on Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) entitled, Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War in 2008. Neufeld's biography traces the life and work of Wernher von Braun, including his work as the chief rocket engineer of Nazi Germany's V-1 and V-2 rockets through his pioneering work on the United States' first space satellite, Explorer 1, and the Apollo program. Attention is paid to both the technical problems and human challenges von Braun faced in leading the US space program to the successful landing of men on the moon. The book was the winner of the following awards: Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award of the American Astronautical Society, 2008; Richard W. Leopold Prize of the Organization of American Historians, 2008; and the Secretary of the Smithsonian's Research Prize, 2008.

 Identifier

NASM.2018.0026

Date

bulk 1910s-1990s

Provenance

Michael Neufeld, Gift, 2018, NASM.2018.0026

Extent

22.38 Cubic feet

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of over 22 cubic feet of copies of source documents researched and used by Michael Neufeld in preparation for his book, Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War.

Arrangement note

This collection was processed into eight series in the order in which the files were received to reflect how they were created, maintained and organized during the writing of the book. All original file names were retained; any words appearing in brackets were added by the processing archivist for clarity. The word [German] appears next to files that are primarily or wholly in the German language. Series 1: Early Rocketry, 1920s-1945 Series 2: World War II, 1942-1945 Series 3: Early Life, 1912-1942 Series 4: Post-War Period, 1945-1949 Series 5: Family, 1910-1970s Series 6: United States Army Work, 1945-1960 Series 7: NASA, 1960-1972 Series 8: Later Life, 1972-1977

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Citation

Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War, NASM.2018.0026, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics

Rocketry

Astronautics

Nazis -- Germany

Apollo Project

Mercury Project

Gemini Project

Jupiter Missile

Rockets (Aeronautics) -- History

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials