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Summary

Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun (1912--1977) was a pioneer in rocketry. This collection consists of a letter written by von Braun to Mrs. J. Clarence Moore in response to Mrs. Moore's letter to von Braun about an article he had written. With the letter, von Braun enclosed the original three-page version of the article as he had written it, before it was condensed and edited for publication.

Biographical / Historical

Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun (1912--1977) was a pioneer in rocketry. Educated in Berlin, he assisted Hermann Oberth, another German rocket pioneer, before independently experimenting with liquid fuel rockets in 1930. Von Braun was the technical Director at the Peenemünde Missile Center, where the A-3 and A-5 rockets were developed and launched, from 1937 to 1945. Also during that time period he developed the V-2 rocket. In 1945, von Braun immigrated to America and became an advisor for V-2 testing in White Sands, New Mexico. In 1960 he became director of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Hunstville, Alabama, where his main assignment was the development of Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V space rockets for the Apollo lunar landing project. Throughout his career, von Braun was the author of numerous articles and publications.

Identifier

NASM.2011.0019

Creator

Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977

Date

1960

Provenance

Mary M. Biddle, Gift, 2011, NASM.2011.0019.

Extent

0.05 Cubic feet (1 folder)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a letter written by Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun to Mrs. J. Clarence Moore on February 5, 1960. The letter, on official Army Ballistic Missile Agency stationery, is in response to Mrs. Moore's letter to von Braun about an article he had written, entitled "Immortality," which was published in the January 24, 1960 issue of This Week magazine as part of the "Words to Live By" feature series. A handwritten notation under von Braun's signature is presumed to have been added by Mrs. Moore. With the letter, von Braun enclosed the original version of the article as he had written it, before it was condensed and edited for publication. The article is three pages long.

Arrangement note

Collection is a single letter and enclosure.

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

Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun Letter and Article, NASM.2011.0019, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials