[Bobalu]

All of the new space entrepreneurs are standing on the shoulders of giants. Here are the two biggest giants. Werner Von Braun and Sergei Korolev

Both of these men were scientific titans. I admire Sergei Korolev the most as his legacy is not stained by the blood of Jewish prisoners forced to labor to build rockets to kill innocents.

I cannot think of Von Braun without seeing the image of those poor tortured prisoners. "I was just following orders" and "I was only interested in the peaceful use of space technology" are not good excuses. I know God can forgive someone like Von Braun but I have a hard time absolving such sins.

May both of them rest in peace...too bad they did not live to see the fruits of what they did.

Both men felt that we could be on Mars before the 20th century ended.

I predict that SpaceX will be first to land a man on Mars.

[SoCal Pubbie]

No love for Robbert Goddard?

[exit82]

I would like to be sitting poolside under a dome in an orbiting hotel watching the Earth go by someday.

Someday.

I remember watching 2001:A Space Odyssey in 1968 as a 14 year old, and believing this could come true in ten or fifteen years. The next year, we landed on the moon.

[Bobalu]

I did not realize the two men looked so similar until I saw the images I posted above....odd isn’t it.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

To his credit—Von Braun did feed his prisoners better in the underground slave factory at Nordhausen—than other Nazis camps. Their were fewer killings too. Not all were Jews but most were well educated professors and scientist forced to build the V-2 Rockets. He is the only man to win the Iron Cross from Hitler and the Medal of Freedom from LBJ. I am sure he never wore them together.

[SunkenCiv]

Sergei Korolev’s work was entirely founded on Von Braun’s design, and Korolev served the Evil Empire, so, no.