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Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) was the father of the American space program, and the first director of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

[[Image:Wernher von Braun.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Wernher von Braun photographed in 1970]]

'''Wernher von Braun''' (1912-1977) was the father of the American space program, and the first director of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Von Braun was one of the most important rocket developers and champions of space exploration during the period between the 1930s and the 1970s, encouraged by reading the science fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and the science study of Oberth, "Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen" (By Rocket to Space) (1923).  Beginning as a teenager, von Braun worked on space flight, becoming involved as early as 1929 in the German rocket society, Verein fur Raumschiffarht (VfR).<ref>http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/bio.html</ref> As a means of furthering his desire to build large and capable rockets, in 1932 he went to work for the German army to develop ballistic missiles. He received a Ph.D. in physics on July 27, 1934.

Von Braun was one of the most important rocket developers and champions of space exploration during the period between the 1930s and the 1970s, encouraged by reading the science fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and the science study of Oberth, "Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen" (By Rocket to Space) (1923).  Beginning as a teenager, von Braun worked on space flight, becoming involved as early as 1929 in the German rocket society, Verein fur Raumschiffarht (VfR).<ref>http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/bio.html</ref> As a means of furthering his desire to build large and capable rockets, in 1932 he went to work for the German army to develop ballistic missiles. He received a Ph.D. in physics on July 27, 1934.