Wernher von Braun
Full Name: Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun
Birthdate: March 23, 1912
Birthplace: Wyrzysk, Poland
Date of Death: June 16, 1977
Occupation: Author and Rocket Scientist
Profile: Responsible for the development of the first American space satellite, Explorer I.
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun
Number of Quotes: 47
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
A good voice to read the audio version of my biography would be that of James Earl Jones.
Attributed remark.
Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing.
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.
Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.
Don't be afraid of big projects. Big things have small beginnings.
Don't tell me that man doesn't belong out there. Man belongs wherever he wants to go — and he'll do plenty well when he gets there.
During most of my lifetime I worked on the development of space travel, which today is no longer a dream.
Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.
Everything science has taught me strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death.
For man, the Moon is a stepping stone on the way to the stars.
For me, the idea of a creation is inconceivable without God.
One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be a divine intent behind it all.
For my confirmation, I didn't get a watch and my first pair of long pants, like most
Lutheran boys. I got a telescope. My mother thought it would make the best gift.
God does not play dice with the universe.
This is more famously associated with Albert Einstein,
but von Braun is
also reported to have said it, reflecting his views on divine order.
Heaven and hell are states of mind. Heaven is living in the presence of God;
hell is the absence of God.
History repeats itself. That's one of the things wrong with history.
Humanity will survive only if it stops destroying itself.
I have learned to use the word impossible
with the greatest caution.
I know of no situation where a military organization has ever solved a research problem without the aid of civilian scientists.
I think we are going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges.
I thus want to state that I am not only deterred by the fear of a living hell, but that I
am also attracted to a better life in another world, which I am convinced is awaiting us.
If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger.
In our quest for the Moon, we discovered the Earth.
It will free man from the remaining chains, the chains of gravity which still tie him to this planet.
It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.
Often paraphrased; authenticity debated but widely cited.
Let's face it, we're all prisoners of our time.
Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft ... and the only one that can be mass-produced with unskilled labor.
My experiences with science led me to God.
They challenge science to prove the existence of God.
But must we really light a candle to see the sun?
Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation.
Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department,
says
Wernher von Braun.
Satirical lyric by Tom Lehrer, included here because it is universally associated with
von Braun, though not spoken by him.
Our sun is one of 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy is one of billions of galaxies populating the universe.
It would be the height of presumption to think that we are the only living thing in that enormous immensity.
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing.
Often cited variant of Basic research...
, included because both forms appear in print.
Science and religion are not antagonists. On the contrary, they are sisters.
Scientific discovery and scientific knowledge have been achieved only by those
who have gone in pursuit of it without any practical purpose whatsoever in view.
Scientific truth is universal.
Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival.
The best computer is a man, and it's the only one that can be mass-produced by unskilled labor.
Variant of the Man is the best computer
quote.
The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.
This is a famous quote by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky that von Braun often
used and popularized in the West. It is not original to him but is strongly associated with his advocacy.
The greatest gain from space travel consists in the extension of our knowledge. In
a hundred years this newly won knowledge will pay huge and unexpected dividends.
The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet.
Apocryphal remark jokingly attributed to him about the V-2, but likely not authentic.
The significance of the Apollo program was not so much that man set foot on the Moon, but that he set eye on the Earth.
The universe is hostile only when you do not know its laws. To those who know and obey, the universe is friendly.
The will to reach for the stars is not merely a technological ambition, but a deeply human one.
There is just one thing I can promise you about the outer-space program: your tax-dollar will go further.
Through science man strives to learn more of the mysteries of creation. Through religion he
seeks to know the Creator.
Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord... I have a feeling we may have goofed.
Alleged private remark after witnessing the destruction from a V-2 impact. Anecdotal and not verifiably documented, but persistently reported.
We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.
Last on Earth
