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Wernher von Braun Facts & Worksheets

Wernher von Braun was a German aerospace engineer and space architect known for being the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Germany.

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Wernher von Braun was a German aerospace engineer and space architect known for being the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Germany, and for playing a prominent role in different aspects of rocketry and space exploration.

See the fact file below for more information on the Wernher von Braun or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Wernher von Braun worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

  • Wernher von Braun was born on March 23, 1912 in Wirsitz in Posen Province.
  • Braun was the second of three sons of a noble Lutheran family.
  • Braun’s father, Magnus Freiherr von Braun, was a civil servant and politician who served the Minister of Agriculture in the federal government.
  • Braun’s mother, Emmy von Quistorp, was a descendant of Philip III of France.
  • Braun’s older brother, Sigismund von Braun, was a diplomat who served as Secretary of State in the Foreign Office in the 1970s.
  • Braun’s younger brother Magnus von Braun was a rocket scientist who also became a senior executive at Chrysler.
  • In 1915, the Braun family moved to Berlin where Magnus worked for the Ministry of the Interior.
  • Wernher von Braun’s mother gave him a telescope after his Confirmation, which started his passion for astronomy.
  • At an early age, Wernher von Braun learned how to play the cello and piano.
  • Braun took lessons from Paul Hindemith, a composer.
  • In 1925, Braun went to a boarding school at Ettersburg Castle near Weimer.
  • In 1928, he transferred to another boarding school, the Hermann-Lietz-Internat on the East Frisian North Sea island of Spiekeroog.
  • In 1930, Braun attended the Technische Hochschule Berlin, where he became a member of the German Society for Space Travel.
  • During that time, Braun also assisted Willy Ley in his liquid-fueled rocket motor tests.
  • In 1932, Braun graduated with a diploma in mechanical engineering.
  • Braun realized that he would need to know more about current engineering technology for him to be able to explore space, which led him to enter the Friedrich-Wilhelm University of Berlin where he graduated with a doctorate in physics in 1934.

CAREER

  • In December 1934, Braun’s group successfully launched two rockets that rose vertically to more than 1.5 miles.
  • Test grounds near Berlin became too small for rocket tests, which led in the development of a large military development facility in the village of Peenemünde in northeastern Germany on the Baltic Sea.
  • Braun worked in the facility as the technical director while Walter Dornberger became the military commander.
  • The group successfully demonstrated liquid-fueled rocket aircraft and jet-assisted takeoffs, leading to the development of the long-range ballistic missile A-4 and the supersonic anti aircraft missile Wasserfall.
  • At the end of World War II, Braun, Dornberger, and Braun’s younger brother Magnus, surrendered to the US troops.
  • Braun’s group was brought to the US Army Ordnance Corps test site at White Sands in New Mexico.
  • Braun’s group tested, assembled, and supervised the launching of captured V-2s for high-altitude research purposes.
  • In 1952, Braun moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he became technical director, and later chief, of the US Army ballistic-weapon program.
  • In 1955, Braun became a US citizen.
  • On October 4, 1957, Braun’s group launched Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union, followed by Sputnik 2 on November 3.
  • On January 31, 1958, Braun’s group successfully launched the first US satellite, Explorer 1.
  • Braun’s group was transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after it was formed.
  • Braun, as director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, led the development of space launch vehicles, Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V.
  • In March 1970, Braun was transferred from Huntsville to NASA’s headquarters in Washington, DC where he took on the role of deputy associate administrator for planning.
  • In 1972, Braun resigned from NASA and later became the vice president of Fairchild Industries, Inc., an aerospace company.
  • In 1975, Braun founded the National Space Institute, a private organization with the goal of gaining public support and understanding about space activities.

PERSONAL LIFE

  • Wernher von Braun married Maria Luise von Quistorp, his maternal first cousin, on March 1, 1947 in a Lutheran Church in Landshut, Germany.
  • On December 9, 1948, Braun and his wife had their first child, a daughter named Iris Careen.
  • In 1952, the family had another child named Margrit Cécile.
  • In 1960, the family had their third child, Peter Constantine.
  • Braun died on June 16, 1977 from pancreatic cancer.
  • Braun’s remains were buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery.

Wernher von Braun Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Wernher von Braun across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Wernher von Braun worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Wernher von Braun who was a German aerospace engineer and space architect known for being the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Germany, and for playing a prominent role in different aspects of rocketry and space exploration.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Wernher von Braun Facts
  • Who Was Braun?
  • Test Yourself!
  • Braun’s Life
  • Identify Them
  • Your Own Rocket
  • Early Satellites
  • Let’s Explore
  • Key People
  • B-R-A-U-N
  • Letter to Braun

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Use With Any Curriculum

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