Wernher von Braun - Journey to the Moon

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[steveclapper]

One of my neighbors in Huntsville went to meetings with him. He said that he would move from one group to another with no notes and discussed various aspects of the Saturn5. It seems he carried every detail in his head.

[Jayjay-qeum]

"Our two greatest problems are gravity and paper work. We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." -- Werhner Von Braun

[conductor]

He also had a wonderful song written about him by the great Tom Leher. My favorite lyrics? "'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department, ' said Wernher Von Braun."

[lorawaye]

Being from Huntsville, Alabama, von Braun is treated as a local hero in many ways. When you ask a local what Huntsville is known for, the typical response is von Braun’s work on the Saturn V

[FullBoltOnRacing]

The rocket worked perfectly, it just landed on the wrong planet. -Wernher Von Brawn

[JFDA]

If von Braun can flunk maths and physics, there's hope for everyone.

[dangreene]

I lived in Decatur Ala, Huntsville was twenty miles away, Von Braun and his team of Engineers put Huntsville on the map .Huntsville is the most progressive city in Ala because of all the engineers who live there . I use to play darts against a guy whose father came with Von Braun from Germany at the end of the war

[sparky]

Small World. Dad knew Wernher Von Braun. He used to stop by Dad's drugstore in Atlanta, GA, back in the 1960's, when Von Braun traveled to Atlanta to visit friends, when he was at The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Dad was so focused at running his drugstore & raising his 6 "wild children from Borneo", that he was oblivious to Von Braun's importance, only realizing it decades after Von Braun's death.
Dad said, that Von Braun could speak on many different subjects, including local issues, as he, like many at that time, read the morning newspaper, and also was a good dresser. This may seem strange to people nowadays, but in those days, how you presented yourself was key to your credibility. That's why, when you look at old films, average people dressed up, if they could, whenever they were in public. Dad knew, that Von Braun had something to do with the Space Program, but Dad wasn't particularly interested in that. Von Braun was a friend of one of Dad's regular customers, whom Dad respected. He often came in with Von Braun, when business was slow, just to talk to my dad, since Dad was a good conversationalist. The only space oriented conversation, Dad remembered, was one where Von Braun & his friend were trying to figure out how to make "space cookies". Cookies, which wouldn't leave a bunch of crumbs floating around in zero gravity. I guess, they thought a pharmacist who also had a soda fountain, might have some useful input?
Neither here nor there, but I thought, that it was pretty cool, that Wernher Von Braun ate grilled cheese sandwiches at Dad's soda fountain. To Dad, he is as just a random German guy who was his customer's friend, but Dad had a terrific memory for names & people. He never forgot anyone, but Dad also never really had a concept of celebrity either, and in some way, it seemed to endere him to them. Von Braun was one of many, whom my Dad knew, but was oblivious to their celebrity.

[BeesWaxMinder]

The Apollo program is such an astonishing story on every level it has everything

[philagethechef]

My grandfather met von Braun just after the war ended von Braun came back to Germany to get married he was snuck in so the russians wouldn't get him he stayed in my grandfather's billet overnight and had breakfast the next morning he didn't tell my grandmother who he was until he had gotten out safely

[rapturesrevenge]

Now you have to do a video about West Virginia's "Rocket Boys" - Homer Hickam Jr., Roy Lee Cooke, Sherman Siers, Jimmy O'Dell Carroll, Billy Rose, and Quentin Wilson. Homer wrote "Rocket Boys" about their amateur rocket building tests, inspired by seeing Sputnik traversing the night sky. The memoir was published in 1998 and was turned into the 1999 movie "October Sky, " starring Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Jake Gyllenhaal (Sherman and Billy did not appear in the film). Wernher von Braun was Homer's hero. All six boys won the National Science Fair and went on to go to college. Homer himself went on to work for NASA.

[darkgalaxy]

"He aimed for the stars, but sometimes hit London"

[MelonheadSTL]

Thank you for this video. My daughter is studying Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. There are many buildings and landmarks named after von Braun in town and on campus. Haven't had time to learn more about him, but now you've given me a good background. Incredible what he and his staff were able to accomplish.

[ignitionfrn]

1:00 - Chapter 1 - Early life & fascination with science fiction
3:20 - Chapter 2 - Transition to rocket man
5:55 - Mid roll ads
7:30 - Chapter 3 - In the army
12:30 - Chapter 4 - Space advocate & kissing cousins ?
13:40 - Chapter 5 - The failure of Hermes II
15:30 - Chapter 6 - The NASA Years
17:40 - Chapter 7 - Death & legacy

[freibier]

Wernher von Braun: "The best computer is a man, and it is the only one which can be mass-produced by unskilled labor."

Also: "You cannot have a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."

He sure had a way with words.

[nexuseagles]

I have been asking for this one for months and it's finally here! It's a great way to start the day.

[scooby]

Wernher von Braun was a man of destiny; using politics as a pawn to achieve that destiny, the world reached into the stars..

that was the first sentence in a physics paper i wrote in college..

[Hillbilly]

Another day, another trip into the Whistlerverse. Outstanding! Cheers.

[sbsstorytelling]

After so many mentions in so many videos, this one was overdue. The name Operation Paperclip has haunted many a dream of mine. Thanks for getting to this one, Simon!

[Smithsjr]

Simon and his crew never fail to entertain and amaze me. Great and enjoyable video as always! 👏