On one hand, Von Braun is a genius who helped the nation send men to the moon. He persevered through challenges and helped the United States move ahead of the Soviet Union in space technology. That said, Wernher Von Braun worked to develop German rocket weapons during WWII and oversaw the construction of rockets being built by people in German concentration camps.

Homer eventually decides to look past what Wernher Von Braun did for Germany. He instead continues to be inspired by Werner Von Braun’s perseverance and work in rocketry. Homer decides to value Wernher Von Braun for what he was doing for the U.S., not for what he had done against it.

I particularly enjoyed this story of Wernher Von Braun because it is so similar to the way Homer Hickam started to learn advanced concepts. Both Homer and Wernher Von Braun did poorly in school, but ended up being motivated by their love of space and rocketry. 

Eventually, the German military recognized the skills of Wernher Von Braun and commissioned him to design German rockets. By 1944 Wernher Von Braun was testing his V2 rockets for use against German enemies.

When it became clear that WWII was coming to a close and that Germany was losing, Wernher Von Braun surrendered to U.S. soldiers. He and his team were then smuggled out of Europe. Once he was in the United States, Wernher Von Braun gave V2 technology to the U.S. Government. He then went on to develop the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo program, which eventually sent men to the moon.