From early childhood rockets, a V-2 rocket, and America’s first orbital satellite, Wernher von Braun’s life inventions really made an impact on history after the completion and success of the Saturn V “moon rocket” that carried man to space and then eventually to the moon with a various string of Apollo Missions. There would be an outstanding amount of components both electrical and mechanical that would be needed to bring together a dream that von Braun had long sought for. This dream invention of his would focus on carrying three astronauts, be comprised of 3 rocket booster stages, lifted initially by the thrust of five F-1 rocket engines, and need a number of things to happen in sequence.
Von Braun began turning the wheels in his brain
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with the design and invention of the Saturn rocket. It was going to be bigger than any other task he had ever dealt with. This was von Braun’s time to shine and stay ahead during the “space race.” Being that he had already invented and launched America’s first satellite, had a successful rocket sent around the moon carrying a monkey with it and back, it was now time to send man to space and then the moon. As most technological missions are held today by doing test runs before actually conducting a mission, it was stated this way in von Braun’s book that “dummy Apollo capsules were launched and orbited” by his team at Kennedy Space Center and “that the spacecraft and its carrier was compatible.” (Von Braun, Ordway III, 1975, 167) President John F. Kennedy came to Huntsville, Alabama to meet with the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSPC), Wernher von Braun, to ask if he really could get man to the moon and show that America was stronger and could achieve being the winner of the space race. Von Braun didn’t hesitate with the President and knew he could get man there but it would take a little time to “spruce up” the previous Saturn rockets to one that could carry 3 men and even a lunar module that would detach and go to the surface of the moon. With this information President Kennedy presented a speech to Congress that consisted of program that would land man on the moon and safely return them home. Officially on January 25, 1962, NASA gave approval for the Development of the Saturn V, the “V” stood for the five F-1 rocket engines that would be attached to the bottom of the spacecraft, and with von Braun’s design and team discussions, the spacecraft would measure in at a massive 363 feet height, and it would consist of three stages. The first stage being the S-1C, the second was the S-2 and the already tested and used S-4B from the previous Saturn rocket missions. The U.S. didn’t have the rockets with the kind of power that would be needed for the Saturn V to even make it off the ground. In Spangenburg and Moser’s book they stated, “That was von Braun’s end of the job.” (Spangenburg and Moser, 1995, 101) While the smaller Saturn rocket was still conducting flight tests, this is something that von Braun kept analyzing to ensure he could design the right rocket needed to lift off the future Apollo rocket. Von Braun had a design that that would produce 1.5 million pounds of thrust from each individual engine for a total thrust power of 7.5 million pounds. (Winter, 1990, 83) The first stage, the S-1C, was to be developed by the staff of the MSPC and along with the support of Boeing Company, Boeing was to be responsible for the production. Von Braun stated that the design for this first stage of the rocket, “is about 138 feet tall and 33 feet in diameter . . . it weighs 300,000 pounds empty, and holds 4.7 million pounds of liquid oxygen and RP-1 kerosene fuel.” (Von Braun, Ordway III, 1975, 170) The second stage design, S-2, was produced by North American Aviation Inc. in California. Several sources tell us that this stage measured in at about 81.5 feet tall and as well, 33 feet in diameter. Bergaust described that it was powered by five J-2 engines that were capable of producing about 1.1 million pounds of thrust. The third and final stage of the Saturn V was the S-4B that was 58.1 feet tall and 21.7 feet in diameter and powered by a single J-2 engine that could be adjusted to have 184,000 to 230,000 pounds of thrust. (Bergaust, 1976, 404) The next biggest challenge for von Braun was to have a successful design for a command module which would also be able to detach and attach a lunar module. The command module was to be used to safely return the astronauts back to earth safely and be dropped into the ocean. Von Braun by now has his whole German team of rocketeers and now a bunch of “Apollo” engineers all contributing to his design and advancing everyday towards teamwork. The engineers faced the first major tragic obstacle with the command module during a testing routine for the first Apollo mission and the Saturn V that left the astronauts trapped inside and eventually killing all three crew members due to a faulty wiring which left the module in flames. Spangenburg and Moser noted that “the tragedy caused agonized rethinking on the part of everyone participating in the program.” (Spangenburg & Moser, 1995, 105) The value of the effort and teamwork that became of that situation made for a long and successful Apollo launches after that day. The building, testing, and paying of everyone involved could not have ever been done without the program having some type of funding, and just like today’s time the Saturn V was able to be built by Government funding and American tax dollars. A quote told by Dr. von Braun one time was “There is just one thing I can promise you about the outer-space-program, your tax dollar will go further.” (Von Braun, 1975, 172) The Saturn V giant was a masterpiece design by that of Wernher von Braun and the prestige that he had gained for completing a successful “moon rocket” design was enormous.
Just as enormous as the Saturn V itself just as the ASME stated that Saturn V was a 45 ton spacecraft! (ASME, 1980, 2) The main intent of the Saturn V creation and the ability to win the “space race” to finally allow man to step foot on to the moon and to advance the future as President Kennedy had promised the U.S. even though, Kennedy unfortunately, didn’t get to witness the Apollo 11 mission and man setting foot on the moon but von Braun had fulfilled his promise that he made with the President before the Saturn Era began. With the success and completion of the Saturn/Apollo missions it was evident that America driven the challenge of other nations, even if Russia did launch the first space bound satellite, von Braun answered back with a bang by taking America to the moon and back. America wasn’t alone when they tuned in to see the live stream of stepping out on the moon, they were joined worldwide as it was like a new TV. show the whole world wanted to witness. Winters described the Saturn V its Apollo missions as “a program that was a magnificent achievement of technical engineering and human ingenuity.” (Winters, 1990, 85) Von Braun was highly respected for his dedication to engineering and rocketry, as Bergaust stated, “Members of the American aerospace community and officials in the Government learned to appreciate the capability of scholar-engineer-manager von Braun.” (Bergaust, 1976,
500) The Saturn V was the hard work and dedication of a determined American country, former German rocketeers and pristine rocket engineer that now loved his American home as much as he loved rocketry. Some today even wish we could bring back that determination and support of hard work, technology advancement, and future dreams of becoming a stronger and more powerful nation. Von Braun was praised for the Saturn V design and the advancements it brought to American Science and Engineering. A passage from Michael Neufeld describes the love people had for von Braun after the Saturn/Apollo moon landing, it says “city leaders hoisted von Braun onto their shoulders and carried him up the courthouse steps as a conquering hero.” (Neufeld, 2007, 434) One of the last Successful launches of a Saturn V rocket was used to send Skylab, The United States first space station, to space and begin its orbit around the earth for 6 years.
Oskar Schindler accomplished many things within his life, such as saving the Jews, being a German spy, and helping the economy. His accomplishments have benefited those throughout his life. Although his kindness for his fellow man ran deep, so did his greed for boosting his own personal status within the community. There are still those today that believe that Oskar Schindler only saved the Jews for his own personal gain, but there are also those that believe that he did it out of kindness. Whether he did it out of good morale or simply for his own greed, Oskar Schindler 's many accomplishments have impacted plenty of lives.
Development of the Hydrogen Bomb In the world, there is little thing called power. Many countries want to have great power, few get it. Powers gave the Soviet Union and the U.S. the ability to dominate in wars. In the 1950’s during the Cold War these two countries had a race to see who could create the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen, the Hydrogen Bomb. Edward Teller, an atomic physicist, and Stanislaw Marcin Ulam, a mathematician, "who together developed the Teller-Ulam design in 1951" for the Hydrogen Bomb (Teller-Ulam Design).
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.” This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the...
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—Washington Star editorial, 20 June 1977” Wernher von Braun was one of the most controversial figures ethically. He helped us reach our goal of space yet was a former Nazi and used slave labor to build his V-2 missile. 7,000 British citizens died as a result of these rockets, but producing the rockets 20,000 more died. The U.S., knowing of von Braun’s Nazi past, recruited him to come to their space program. Had von Braun not been blinded by his goal of rocketry and rather considered his moral obligations, he would have undoubtedly been considered a national hero in the U.S. rocket program.
Adolf Hitler's power during WWII and his ultimate demise are a result of how he gained that power, how he caused fear and anger in Germany's citizens, and how he handled losing the war.
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On August 2nd of 1939, Famous scientist Albert Einstein sent a letter to the President of the United States, F.D. Roosevelt, regarding his thoughts on uranium and how America could use it for wartime and to tip the scale. Einstein believes the uranium can be used in bombs to take down ports and waterside targets, stating that the bombs would be too heavy for air travel. Einstein hopes to get the president onboard with his idea because of the prowess the president has to convince higher authority like congress and various government departments. Although he’s confident in the uranium's power and pros, einstein also notices the cons of the element as well.
You are running through the forest, bullets flying in all directions; it’s total chaos. You need to push through the enemies to escape. Good thing you’re a mathematician, that’s been taught how to fix things. And if you make it out alive, there’s that sweet, sweet $70,000 waiting for you. Well, that’s the life of a combat engineer, if you can call it that. Because many people are misinformed about military engineering, they should learn about the outlook of military engineering, the Army Corps of Engineers, and combat engineers.
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