Don't say that he's hypocritical, Say rather that he's apolitical. Tom Lehrer – “Wernher von Braun”
July 20, 1969, 10:56 p.m. Eastern Standard Time: Half a billion people watched with pride as an American airman from Ohio took the first step onto the moon. He and his two compatriots had traveled almost 400,000 kilometers through space––the culmination of two decades of research and 150 billion dollars. The American flag planted on the Moon proved a capstone moment in the space race. This historic moment could not have been accomplished without the work of one man: Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun, former head of the Nazi missile program and member of the SS. A man indirectly responsible for the death of 9,000 civilians and military …show more content…
Throughout the development of the Redstone Missile in the early 1950s, Braun collaborated with the popular magazine Collier’s to write several articles for the upcoming special issues on human space flight. These three issues, titled “Man Will Conquer Space Soon”, “Man on the Moon”, and “Man on the Moon: The Exploration” aimed to provide a more realistic look at how mankind would travel to the stars. Braun and fellow scientists provided the ideas, while renowned illustrator Chelsey Bonestell brought life and color to the ideas. These articles painted a grand future for space exploration. Braun’s proposed moon mission involved the construction of huge space stations in Earth orbit, that served as staging points between the Earth and the moon. His work with Collier’s led to an unusual partnership: a collaboration on a series of television specials for Walt Disney. The Disneyland theme park had recently opened, and marketing struggled with promoting Tomorrowland. Braun was asked for assistance, and he willingly obliged. Walt Disney introduced the first episode: “In this Tomorrowland series we are combining the tools of our trade with the knowledge of the scientists to give a factual picture of the latest plans for man’s newest adventure” (Walt Disney, 1955). Braun appeared in these videos, a handsome man in his midforties, with a thick German accent who presented a fantastical view of humanity beyond planet
July 20, 1969, 10:56 p.m. Eastern Standard Time: Half a billion people watched with pride as an American airman from Ohio took the first step onto the moon. He and his two compatriots had traveled almost 400,000 kilometers through space––the culmination of two decades of research and 150 billion dollars. The American flag planted on the Moon proved a capstone moment in the space race. This historic moment could not have been accomplished without the work of one man: Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun, former head of the Nazi missile program and member of the SS. A man indirectly responsible for the death of 9,000 civilians and military …show more content…
Throughout the development of the Redstone Missile in the early 1950s, Braun collaborated with the popular magazine Collier’s to write several articles for the upcoming special issues on human space flight. These three issues, titled “Man Will Conquer Space Soon”, “Man on the Moon”, and “Man on the Moon: The Exploration” aimed to provide a more realistic look at how mankind would travel to the stars. Braun and fellow scientists provided the ideas, while renowned illustrator Chelsey Bonestell brought life and color to the ideas. These articles painted a grand future for space exploration. Braun’s proposed moon mission involved the construction of huge space stations in Earth orbit, that served as staging points between the Earth and the moon. His work with Collier’s led to an unusual partnership: a collaboration on a series of television specials for Walt Disney. The Disneyland theme park had recently opened, and marketing struggled with promoting Tomorrowland. Braun was asked for assistance, and he willingly obliged. Walt Disney introduced the first episode: “In this Tomorrowland series we are combining the tools of our trade with the knowledge of the scientists to give a factual picture of the latest plans for man’s newest adventure” (Walt Disney, 1955). Braun appeared in these videos, a handsome man in his midforties, with a thick German accent who presented a fantastical view of humanity beyond planet