Wernher von Braun. Hero or Murderer?

[Wishbone]

All true. But recall reading Chariots for apollo, Chaitin and MSFC history, when NASA had to offer compromises to von Braun. Why? Because he (ahem, his team) was the one who did the launcher, had no significant competition in the heavyweight category. Others would dally, blow up engines (like Kuznetsov in the USSR) or be afraid of switching to cryo when it mattered. With more incumbents, NASA hq and politicos in D.C. would be reluctant to support von Braun.

 

[Urwumpe]

All true. But recall reading Chariots for apollo, Chaitin and MSFC history, when NASA had to offer compromises to von Braun. Why? Because he (ahem, his team) was the one who did the launcher, had no significant competition in the heavyweight category. Others would dally, blow up engines (like Kuznetsov in the USSR) or be afraid of switching to cryo when it mattered. With more incumbents, NASA hq and politicos in D.C. would be reluctant to support von Braun.

But how would you justify this? Von Braun was the best team for large rocket engine development inside the USA. The other teams relied on the basic research done by Von Braun.

Also, von Braun did also not embrace cryogenics, he took the experience of the truly ground breaking Centaur project. Which was developed inside what is today the Glenn space research center. The Saturn should have used the Centaur, but when the Centaur was ready, Von Braun had already his own, larger rocket stages and rocket engines (J-2).

 

[Star Voyager]

Here's someone who doesn't like von Braun:

But I read somewhere that von Braun never liked working for Hitler. However, he truely was instrumental to getting our asses off of here !

 

[statickid]

It is far better, in my opinion, to redirect powerful thinking to peaceful causes than to exterminate it.

The question posed is far to black and white to have any real meaning.

 

[Ark]

I think when you're as singlemindedly passionate about something as Von Braun was about rockets, you'll pay whatever price necessary to pursue it.

 

[N_Molson]

There are many characters like that in the History. Nothing is all white or all black... And the mind of an human being is something very very complex. Stalin is another exemple. He commited number of crimes against humanity but also made the victory possible during the WWII... One single man can be both a hero and a murderer, human brain seems to handle contradictions very well.