Customer Reviews

Dr. Space: The Life of Wernher von Braun

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Excellent read on the birth of the space program through the man who most "got it done..." von Braun..Just enough technical stuff to appreciate and understand the difficulty of it, but not too much to slow the read..well done..a great mix of humanity and science...

Concentrates on von Braun the man...excellent insight into his manners, values, hopes, dreams,trials and disappointments. We can learn from the man's disappointments and hard times as much as we can from his good times and successes. Bob presents a broad array of humanity which makes this book well worth reading from the humanity standpoint. Good mix..great mix--of science and humanity.

Wernher von Braun was very bright, very dedicated, and very, very lucky. Looking at what he did, there is no question that he was a very bright fellow. He couldn't have done all that he did otherwise. He was also very dedicated. He lived and breathed rockets. He started working with rockets very early and kept at it all through his life.

But just think how lucky he was. Had he been born earlier (like Goddard) there were no rocket programs. Had he been born later, say he turned 16 or 17 in 1944, it is likely that he would have been cannon fodder on the eastern front. Had he been fascinated by any of a hundred other subjects: machine guns, aircraft engines, submarines or whatever, he would have been just another member of the Nazi party and the SS. Rather than a trip to the US as a "Special Employee" of the US Army, it is likely that he would have a trip to prison instead. If he had been in the Russian zone ....

This is the first book on von Braun that I've read that got the story of Operation Paperclip and the special trip to Mexico correct. That shows pretty good research.

The old admonish about never judging a book by its cover is very apropos to Dr. Space. The book's jacket touts this biography as a "...rare, balanced study..." of Von Braun's life. Sadly, that isn't the case. Ward clearly states that he had met Von Braun more than once. Those interactions obviously left Ward with favorable impressions of the man, which end up shaping the portrayal of his subject. Von Braun is depicted as an almost super-human being that was loved by most, but despised by a jealous, inferior few who made the end of his life miserable. Even Von Braun's faults, toward which a chapter is dedicated, are depicted not as flaws in character but as mild eccentricities and naughtiness. Yet, Von Braun's career strongly hints that he was a firm believer that (at least professionally) the ends justified the means. A more balanced biography would have the explored this aspect of Von Braun's personality further.

The reader is especially shortchanged in the depiction of Von Braun's technical skills. Von Braun is primarily shown in the workplace as a cheerleader type manager who got the best from his staff. Virtually none of his technical accomplishments are mentioned, leaving the reader to wonder why a good manager would be awarded the National Medal of Science and ranked second on the list of the 100 "Stars of Aerospace". While detailed technical descriptions might be over the head of some readers (after all, most of us aren't rocket scientists), some illustration would have been helpful to appreciate Von Braun's creativity.

With the atrophying of the U.S. space program and the time that's passed since his death, the general public's knowledge and appreciation of Von Braun is sadly fading from memory. A good biography of this rocketry giant would restore the widespread respect that he deserves. Unfortunately, Dr. Space is just a warm up to that more definitive biography which has yet to be written.

Wernher von Braun was a baron from birth. He learned to play the piano from the composer Paul Hindemith, and he assembled a jet-powered vehicle (six skyrockets lashed to a coaster wagon) at the age of 12. As the youthful chief of Germany's rocket program, he got into trouble with his Nazi overlords because he talked of space travel when all they wanted from him was to drop explosives on the heads of their enemies.

Von Braun not only led Germany into space--by way of the V-2 ballistic missile that hammered London in the last year of World War II--but the United States as well. His portable allegiances caused the comedian Mort Sahl to quip, after seeing a von Braun biopic called I Aim at the Stars: "But sometimes I miss and hit London!"

Bob Ward is most interesting when he deals with the question of von Braun's war guilt-not only a Nazi, but an SS officer and head of a factory that employed slave labor. The story flags a bit (and so, in the end, did the seemingly indefatigable von Braun) amid the politics and bureaucracy of Fort Bliss, Redstone Arsenal, and NASA's Washington headquarters. Still, a worthwhile biography of a fascinating man. - Dan Ford

When you finish reading Dr. Space you will feel like you have been given an opportunity to meet Dr. Wernher von Braun. This book focuses on von Braun the man and not just what he did for NASA. When studying history it is important to remember that many men are smart enough to discover and understand principles of operation but it is that rare individual who is able to take that knowledge and make history. In this book the reader is able to finally learn about von Braun and his way of thinking, motivating, and leading.

We see a young von Braun as a student and his days of leading a rocket club. Then it's on to his days in Germany and the development of the V-2 rocket. We follow him after he comes to the U.S. and spends time in Texas until he finally gets his chance to shine in Huntsville, Alabama. We see him in action in Huntsville developing the Saturn rockets and sending men to the moon. Finally we follow him to Washington and see the end of his NASA career, his move into private enterprise and his fight with cancer.

Along the way we see what von Braun did after hours and on vacation. He SCUBA dives, sails, flies aircraft, tells jokes, and visits a topless club or two. We see that he became the life of any party and had a very broad knowledge in many subjects other than rocketry. There are several photographs included ranging from V-2 rockets being set up at White Sands, New Mexico to von Braun and his family out on his boat in Alabama.

While this may not be the definitive book on all that von Braun did in his days at NASA it is the book about von Braun the man. Read, learn and enjoy. I did.

I doubt that many readers here would dismiss a book because of laudatory marketing on the dustjacket--but it happens. Further, to criticize a book so meticulously referenced because the author met the subject and may have had a favorable impression would bring publishing to a halt.

This will not be the first or the last book on Wernher von Braun; however, it has come at a time when some historical re-evaluation is needed. WvB's dream was not merely to travel to space, but to someday inhabit it, and he believed that a human expedition to Mars was well within our scientific and technical capability, probably long before manned missions to the moon were abandoned.

We DID find out that the craters on the moon are largely NOT volcanic, and I have met the person who put forth THAT theory 20 years before it could be evaluated by evidence, Ralph Belknap Baldwin. His impressive writings on another subject, the Proximity Fuze, are largely ignored by scholars...for another day. On to WvB.

I'm sure there are many who breathed a sigh of relief when he finally succumbed to cancer. Or, perhaps, that he were not born of Prussian nobility. Yet, despite great odds against him (SS officer position, being awared the War Merit Cross with Swords), he managed to move the entire Pennemuende operation from the Baltic Sea to southern Germany, to mastermind surrender to the Americans and protect vital documents against Soviet plunder. For that alone he could be remembered. Yet, he did much more. He was in no position to thwart National Socialism, any more than many Americans are in a position to thwart a motion toward American Socialism. Yet, as a cog in a military-industrial machine, he managed to keep his scientist's heart and dreams, to endure the barriers to the patience of a likely genius (no, I did not meet him or measure his IQ, though it would have been a challenge).

This is the most engaging writing I've seen on the subject of Wernher von Braun's life, it is recent (2005), and I recommend it to anyone interested in the subject of the man, WWII history, the Cold War, the Space Race, socio-politics of the 20th century, and the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex. There are insights here, and important leads for researchers, and for those alone, it is highly recommended. Should it be criticised because the author attributes the term Iron Curtain to Churchill and not to Dr. Josef Goebbels, who used it long before? Of course not, 'twould be silly indeed.

As a caveat, understand I am the son of a man who worked on "classified" ordnance projects during the War, which I am researching at length, and on that basis, those who will disqualify my opinions on that basis are welcome to have a go. Otherwise, if you have read this far, you probably will want to read "Dr. Space."

and not just the scientist, then this is the biography to read. Dr. von Braun had, perhaps, the most brillant mind of anyone living in this century. But everything I had ever read about him dealt with the scientific aspects of that mind and, of course, the moral aspects of his Nazi past. I maintain that if Hitler was ordering you to produce or die, you would have done what this man did - produce. And after all was said and done, his family lost everything. I was more interested in knowing this brilliant man as a human being. I have traveled to Rocket City, USA and it is a wonderful and interesting place. Most interesting is that they recently erected a replica Saturn V which stands magnificently and can be seen for miles. So, if you want to know Wernher von Braun, the man, then this is a great book to read. Thank you Bob Ward for giving me a better idea of the fine man that he was. I am truly convinced that without his mind and his German cohorts an American would have never walked on the moon. Thank you Dr. von Braun!!!

I really enjoyed this book. I worked at ABMA and later NASA during the late 1950's and early 1960's as a student trainee and it was pretty heady stuff for a young guy from South Georgia to be involved with members of Dr. Von Braun's team. Ward provides excellent insights into Dr. von Braun as an individual and his role in the nation's "space race". While at times it comes across as a little " promotional" it's an excellent story and makes one wonder what our space efforts would be like today if had he been chosen as head of NASA

Well written, informative look at the personal side of Dr. von Braun's life from birth to his untimely death from cancer. Plenty of details about his work with rockets and his influence on America's space program. Many quotes from people who knew Dr. von Braun personally. A thoughtful look at his triumphs and his tragedies. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of rocketry and space exploration as well as anyone who likes to learn more about leaders who inspire people to succeed.

"Dr. Space" by Bob Ward is story of America's first space icon -- Dr. Werher von Braun. This is not the story of von Braun the technician-- it is the story of von Braun the leader. It's the story of a man who adopted a new country, and how he led that country into space.

Bob Ward writes "In his day, von Braun enjoyed the popularity equal to that of a movie star. Yet despite all the publicity and the flood of fan mail he received, he seemed [...] {to prefer } to focus on the reason for it." In this book, Ward takes the reader on von Braun's journey from the German rocket works at Peenemunde, to the heartland of America.

Von Braun and his team made their first Amerian homes at Fort Bliss, Texas, where they were "Prisoners of Peace". With the fresh wounds of World War II, the Army decided it was best to keep a low profile as they servered as technical experts on the nascent American rocketry program. No program of this size could be kept secret for too long, so eventually the team integrated with the local community. The team eventually moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where once again they proved their worth to both the American space industry and to the local community.

In addition to looking at not only this team, Ward looks at some of the larger issues of the day. Not only were the American's in a space race with the Soviets, there was infighting within NASA. When von Braun's team was not selected for the sub-orbital program, he wisely placed an excess rocket in "long term storage tests". He knew that the winning design team was going to have integration issues, because he had faced those same issues years before. With the not-so-surprising launch of Sputnik, von Braun was able to bring the rocket out of storage, compressing the timeline needed for America to catch up with the Soviets.

This book gives the reader insight into many of the major space programs of the 50's & 60s. Von Braun's influence was even felt into the 1980's Space Shuttle program.

The other side to the von Braun story is what he gave back to the community. The city of Huntsville, Alabama dedicated their Civic Center in his honor because of his outstanding contributions to the community.

There are some who feel that von Braun did not do enough while he was in Germany. Ward publishes a personal letter from von Braun to Mr. Alan Fox as to why he did not do more to help the slave laborers used in the Mittewerke factory in wartime Germany. This is a very polarizing issue for which there is no middle ground -- read the letter and make your own opinions.

Overall, this is a well-written book about an incredible man.