Von Braun - Great American?

I don't know much about Von Braun except for what I've seen on TV. I
have some questions about him:

1. How much credit does he get for the development of NASA? Was he the
driving force? If he was not around back then would NASA have progressed at
a much slower and more dangerous rate?

2. How much credit does he get for getting Americans to the Moon? If I
said he single handedly got the U.S. to the Moon would that be a big
exaggeration or mostly correct?

3. This question has really been on my mind: If Von Braun was not a
former NAZI, you think there would be a statue of him in Washington D.C. or
something? If Von Braun was as important as they say, it sounds like he
should be put in the one dollar bill. I guess what I'm really asking is if
you think he has not been honored enough because of his NASI past?

Thanks!

Am Mon, 02 Jan 2006 23:06:07 GMT schrieb "Von Fourche":

I don't know much about Von Braun except for what I've seen on TV. I
have some questions about him:

I'll try to answer from a non-American viewpoint - I am a German (who
is thankful not having to do with nazism or hypernationalizm)

1. How much credit does he get for the development of NASA? Was he the
driving force? If he was not around back then would NASA have progressed at
a much slower and more dangerous rate?

IMO not really much. He did follow his target of building missiles and
launchers and getting them into orbit and beyond. He seems to have
done a very good PR job in the 50's - seemingly better than anyone
else in the US in that time frame. But with beginning of the NASA age
his PR job was done mostly, and he shifted more and more back to
launcher building.

2. How much credit does he get for getting Americans to the Moon? If I
said he single handedly got the U.S. to the Moon would that be a big
exaggeration or mostly correct?

He surely did not a one-man job getting a man to the moon - maybe
without him there wouldn't have been a manned moon programme until
1970 at all, maybe not until today, but maybe others would have filled
that void - who knows for sure? But don't forget: He was NOT the only
German who went to US after the war - it was a large group of
engineers and scientists who went to work. And this group did large
parts of the job and its members filled some important key positions.
So a direct answer to your question would tend more to "no".

3. This question has really been on my mind: If Von Braun was not a
former NAZI, you think there would be a statue of him in Washington D.C. or
something? If Von Braun was as important as they say, it sounds like he
should be put in the one dollar bill. I guess what I'm really asking is if
you think he has not been honored enough because of his NASI past?

That's too political for me to answer (as a German, I have to be a bit
careful about, independent of the fact, that I was born 25 years after
the Nazis were defeated, and cannot understand, that some people think
to have to make my Generation and later born as well feel guilty for
things, we really cannot imagine at all). I suppose, he WAS a Nazi (a
carefully white washed one) who hid behind an apolitical mimikry. But
the value of his work seems to have been everytimes more important
than his actual political opinions (or past ones) - for any of his
employers. And because I believe, he never became a real American by
heart, not only on paper, and many people (in US) thought and think so
as well, I can very well understand, that he was not honored more.

cu, ZiLi aka HKZL

--
Gib mir die Zahlen die Du hast,
und gib mir die Zahlen die Du brauchst -
Und ich suche dann die richtigen Tests raus,
um aus den einen die anderen Zahlen zu machen.

I actually convinced a German friend, who happened to think that we had
not landed on the Moon, that we had, by pointing out that surely Von
Braun must have been in on any conspiracy.

On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 17:45:11 -0600, Heinrich Zinndorf-Linker (zili@home)
wrote
(in article ):

3. This question has really been on my mind: If Von Braun was not a
former NAZI, you think there would be a statue of him in Washington D.C. or
something? If Von Braun was as important as they say, it sounds like he
should be put in the one dollar bill. I guess what I'm really asking is if
you think he has not been honored enough because of his NASI past?

That's too political for me to answer (as a German, I have to be a bit
careful about, independent of the fact, that I was born 25 years after
the Nazis were defeated, and cannot understand, that some people think
to have to make my Generation and later born as well feel guilty for
things, we really cannot imagine at all). I suppose, he WAS a Nazi (a
carefully white washed one) who hid behind an apolitical mimikry. But
the value of his work seems to have been everytimes more important
than his actual political opinions (or past ones) - for any of his
employers. And because I believe, he never became a real American by
heart, not only on paper, and many people (in US) thought and think so
as well, I can very well understand, that he was not honored more.

He (and the rest of the Germans from Operation Paperclip) were honored
quite nicely by the communities where they lived and worked. The big
civic center in Huntsville, AL is still called the Von Braun Civic
Center, and the MSFC headquarters building is still, to this day,
referred to affectionately as "the Von Braun Hilton".

--
Herb

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
~ RAH

Herb Schaltegger wrote:

He (and the rest of the Germans from Operation Paperclip) were honored
quite nicely by the communities where they lived and worked. The big
civic center in Huntsville, AL is still called the Von Braun Civic
Center, and the MSFC headquarters building is still, to this day,
referred to affectionately as "the Von Braun Hilton".



It might be good to remember why exactly the Peenemunde team wanted to
fall into American hands at the end of the war; IIRC it went something
like this: "We were terrified of the Russians, we despised the French,
and the British couldn't afford us."
That's not exactly seeing the glow of Liberty's torch.
I think they were quite willing to jump into bed with anybody who
wouldn't enslave them and would give them the money to build rockets.

Pat

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 23:44:01 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:

"We were terrified of the Russians, we despised the French,
and the British couldn't afford us."
That's not exactly seeing the glow of Liberty's torch.

....I wouldn't say that, Pat. The Russians didn't know liberty if it
bit them on the ass, the Frogs love to give it away at the first sign
of an ass beating, and the Limeys only know liberty as the time when
US sailors came ashore and took advantage of every pub and woman in
town. Looks to me like they went towards Lady Liberty for the right
reasons.

OM
--
]=====================================[
] OMBlog - http://www.io.com/~o_m/omworld [
] Let's face it: Sometimes you *need* [
] an obnoxious opinion in your day! [
]=====================================[

In message , Pat Flannery
writes


Herb Schaltegger wrote:

He (and the rest of the Germans from Operation Paperclip) were honored
quite nicely by the communities where they lived and worked. The big
civic center in Huntsville, AL is still called the Von Braun Civic
Center, and the MSFC headquarters building is still, to this day,
referred to affectionately as "the Von Braun Hilton".


It might be good to remember why exactly the Peenemunde team wanted to
fall into American hands at the end of the war; IIRC it went something
like this: "We were terrified of the Russians, we despised the French,
and the British couldn't afford us."


Oddly enough, one of the best films showing the care and feeding of a V2
is from the British Project Backfire.
Possibly we weren't prepared to whitewash a war criminal, having been on
the receiving end.
The US was quite happy to take the boss of Unit 731, despite his habit
of cutting up his victims while they were still conscious, and the
torturer Klaus Barbie.

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...

It might be good to remember why exactly the Peenemunde team wanted to
fall into American hands at the end of the war; IIRC it went something
like this: "We were terrified of the Russians, we despised the French,
and the British couldn't afford us."
That's not exactly seeing the glow of Liberty's torch.
I think they were quite willing to jump into bed with anybody who
wouldn't enslave them and would give them the money to build rockets.

Well, I think the great Sage Tom Lehrer said it best: "A man whose
allegiance
Is ruled by expedience."



Gather 'round while I sing you of Wernher von Braun,
A man whose allegiance
Is ruled by expedience.
Call him a Nazi, he won't even frown,
"Ha, Nazi, Schmazi," says Wernher von Braun.

Don't say that he's hypocritical,
Say rather that he's apolitical.
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department," says Wernher von Braun.

Some have harsh words for this man of renown,
But some think our attitude
Should be one of gratitude,
Like the widows and cripples in old London town,
Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun.

You too may be a big hero,
Once you've learned to count backwards to zero.
"In German oder English I know how to count down,
Und I'm learning Chinese!" says Wernher von Braun.


Pat

All I know is he started LOR. The method to fly to the moon.

It stands for Lunar Orbit Rezendevouz.
If it's spelled right

In message .com, ADI
writes
All I know is he started LOR. The method to fly to the moon.

It stands for Lunar Orbit Rezendevouz.
If it's spelled right


No.
LOR was proposed by John Houbolt. Von Braun initially opposed it.