In the annals of space exploration history, a curious coincidence recently captured the imagination of science enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike. On January 27, a social media claim went viral, alleging that Wernher von Braun, the famed German-American rocket scientist, had predicted a leader named “Elon” would guide humanity’s colonization of Mars. This claim originates from a passage in The Mars Project, an obscure science fiction book by von Braun in 1948. The seemingly uncanny coincidence sparked speculation that von Braun had somehow anticipated the rise of Elon Musk—SpaceX CEO, entrepreneur, and outspoken advocate for Mars colonization. At first glance,...