Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz, Germany, (now Wyrzysk, Poland) on 23 March 1912. He earned his bachelor's degree at the age of 20 from the University of Berlin, where he also received his doctorate in physics in 1934. Between 1932 and 1937, Von Braun was employed by the German Ordnance Department. He became technical director of the Peenemuende Rocket Center in 1937, where the V-2 rocket was developed. Near the end of World War II, he led more than 100 of his rocket team members to surrender to the Allied powers.

Von Braun came to the United States in September 1945 under contract with the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps as part of Operation Paperclip. He worked on high altitude firings of captured V-2 rockets at White Sands Proving Ground until he became project director of the Ordnance Research and Development Division Sub-Office (Rocket) at Fort Bliss, Texas. On 28 October 1949, the Secretary of the Army approved the transfer of the Fort Bliss group to Redstone Arsenal. After his arrival in Huntsville in April 1950, Von Braun was appointed Director of Development Operations. He continued in this position under the newly formed Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA).

Major ABMA development projects under Von Braun's technical direction included the REDSTONE rocket, the JUPITER Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), and the PERSHING missile. He and his team of German scientists and engineers were also responsible for developing the JUPITER C Reentry Test Missile and launching the Free World's first scientific earth satellite, EXPLORER I.

On 1 July 1960, Von Braun and his team were transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and became the nucleus of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal. He served as Director of the Marshall Center until February 1970 when he moved to NASA Headquarters to serve as Deputy Associate Administrator. On 1 July 1972, Von Braun left NASA to become Vice President of Engineering and Development for Fairchild Industries in Germantown, Maryland. Von Braun was inducted into the Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame in 1973. He retired in January 1977 due to ill health and died on 16 June 1977.

Development Operations Division	Army/NASA Transfer Ceremony	Sec Army Bruckner, Von Braun, Eisenhower	Debus, Von Braun, 28 Mar 1963	EXPLORER I briefing
EXPLORER I briefing	EXPLORER I	Ft. Bliss Group	Army/NASA Transfer Meeting>	President Kennedy & Von Braun, 19 May 1963
President Kennedy & Von Braun, 19 May 1963	Army photo used for Life magazine cover	Medaris & Von Braun	Medaris & Von Braun	Medaris & Von Braun
Medaris & Von Braun	Medaris, Von Braun, Glennan	Medaris, Von Braun, Toftoy	Oberth and Space Journal	Oberth, Von Braun, Lundquist, 28 Jun 1958
With MERCURY Astronauts, 29 Jun 1959	With MERCURY Astronauts, 29 Jun 1959	Sec Army Bruckner, Von Braun, Rees	Rees, COL Paul, Von Braun, 1960	Army/NASA Transfer Meeting
Time cover	Toftoy and Vonbraun	Toftoy and Vonbraun	Von Braun	Von Braun
Von Braun in front of building 4488, ABMA HQ	Von Braun in front of teststand	Von Braun & family	Von Braun at capture	Von Braun
Von Braun	Von Braun in meeting	Von Braun inspecting component fabrication	Von Braun	Von Braun in front of building 4488, ABMA HQ
A young Von Braun in an undated photo	Von Braun	A young Von Braun in an undated photo	A young Von Braun in an undated photo	A young Von Braun in an undated photo
Von Braun, 19 Nov 1958	Von Braun, 26 Jul 1958	Von Braun and Barclay, 5 May 1961	ABMA's 2nd birthday, 1 Feb 1958	At the opening of the Alabama Space & Rocket Center
Von Braun in office at Peenemunde	Von Braun explaining rockets to Jimmy Blackman	Von Braun in blockhouse	Von Braun in blockhouse	Civilian Award Ceremony, 24 April 1959
Von Braun w (l to r) Curt Jurgens, father Baron Von Braun, 1 Sep 1959	Von Braun Day, 24 February 1970	Von Braun & family in Moon Day parade, 1958	Von Braun & COL Hudson	Von Braun letter to MICOM Commander
Von Braun & family in Moon Day parade, 1958	Von Braun & family in Moon Day parade, 1958	Von Braun meets with NASA officials, 17 September 1958	Von Braun w/ recovered JUPITER nose cone, 16 October 1957	Von Braun w/ recovered JUPITER nose cone, 16 October 1957
Von Braun receives Exceptional Performance Award, 18 April 1957	Von Braun in blockhouse during PIONEER IV launch, March 1959	Von Braun in blockhouse	Von Braun in blockhouse	Von Braun in blockhouse
Von Braun meets with Sec Army staff, September 1958	Von Braun congratulates MG Zierdt on promotion	Von Braun congratulates MG Zierdt on promotion, with Mrs. Zierdt and Mrs. Von Braun