At the end of World War II, the people of England were horrified and devastated by a new weapon: flying bombs. These bombs fell on London day and night, seemingly from nowhere. The creator of this weapon was a young scientist who was not yet well-known in the scientific community: Wernher Von Braun (1912 – 1977).
Wernher Von Braun was born on March 23, 1912, in Wirsitz, Silesia, in eastern Germany, an area that now belongs to Poland. Wernher was the second of three sons of Baron Magnus Von Braun. His father was a stern landowner who had been involved in German politics during the Weimar Republic, while his mother, Emmy Von Quistorp, was an astronomy enthusiast. She often took her children to the rooftop on clear nights to show them the planets and stars twinkling in the sky. Thus, Wernher dreamed of one day setting foot on those distant celestial bodies.
At just 13 years old, Wernher had a penchant for playing with explosives. He stuffed gunpowder into a toy car and set it ablaze. The car raced off like a monster, terrifying passersby and scaring horses. He was taken home by the police, and his father, Magnus, scolded him sternly, saying: “Wernher, you must not bring disgrace upon me like this. I will send you to a boarding school five kilometers away so you can stop your mischief.”
That year, Wernher left his family to attend a remote school located on a Frisian island. Here, he did not study diligently. His teachers considered him a poor student, with the principal commenting: “This student lacks diligence and is completely ignorant of mathematics. He will have a hard time keeping up.”
In 1925, Wernher Von Braun fortuitously read a book about astronomy. The book depicted a rocket flying towards the moon, accompanied by an article written by Hermann Oberth. Oberth was one of the first rocket theorists and a disciple of Tsiolkovsky, the Russian prophet of space exploration. Oberth’s book, “Rockets in Interplanetary Space,” amazed many and fascinated Von Braun. This more than 100-page book was difficult for him to understand due to its numerous mysterious equations. He decided to ask his father for private lessons in mathematics and physics. Von Braun later stated, “Mathematics is essential for understanding how to navigate in space, so I decided to pursue it.” He progressed in mathematics and physics to the point where he could replace the professor to teach his classmates whenever the professor was absent.
In 1928, the Space Travel Society (Verein für Raumschiffahrt) was founded by Oberth. This society published a monthly magazine called “Rocket” and gathered several scientists and young Germans passionate about rocketry. Among the readers of the Rocket magazine was a tall, 16-year-old young man with blue eyes, brown hair, and a square jaw, full of determination: Wernher Von Braun, who had just graduated from high school and enrolled in the Berlin Institute of Technology.
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Von Braun carrying rockets (right) |
In the autumn of 1929, Von Braun visited Mr. Willy Ley to discuss his interest in space exploration. Von Braun wanted Mr. Ley to introduce him to the Space Travel Society of which he was a founding member. Mr. Willy Ley then took Von Braun to meet Oberth, and from that moment on, young Von Braun proudly carried rockets that his seniors would launch.
At that time, famous filmmaker Fritz Lang intended to make a movie about space conquest. Fritz Lang invited Oberth to be a technical advisor. Oberth agreed but also demanded enough money to build a rocket, which he planned to launch on the day the film premiered.
That year, Fritz Lang’s film “A Woman on the Moon” was a great success, while the rocket launch ended in bitter failure, contrary to the media’s loud praise. However, the members of the Space Travel Society were not overly disappointed. They believed that their rocket failure was due to not having found a fuel that could produce the necessary pressure. They then asked chemists to create a new propellant.
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Von Braun and Oberth |
In Reinickendorf, a suburb of Berlin, there was an empty plot of land. The Space Travel Society signed a contract with the City Council on September 27, 1930, to lease the land for 1,500 marks a year. This site was proudly named the “Rocket Airport.” Although the airport was rudimentary, just a few months later, it became known worldwide for its uniqueness. Many visitors came from countries like France, America, and England. Some volunteered to assist in the experimental efforts. The Space Travel Society, although not wealthy, managed to develop small Mirak rockets. By 1932, Oberth, Ley, Von Braun, and other members had successfully conducted 85 tests, with one of the rockets reaching a height of one mile, setting a record for that time.
In the spring of 1932, Von Braun completed the engineering program at the Berlin Institute of Technology and two years later earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Berlin. However, his studies did not interrupt his pursuit of rocket engineering.
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Stay tuned for: “Wernher Von Braun and Rocket Manufacturing“
