Kurt H. Debus
A former German rocket scientist now considered the father of the Kennedy Space Center
“Debus adjusted to US life, first working at Fort Bliss in Texas before relocating again to Huntsville, Alabama”
As World War II came to its conclusion in 1945, the United
States swiftly moved to perform Operation Paperclip. The aim of the operation was to recruit as many Nazi scientists as possible in anticipation of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. One of the scientists swooped up in this operation would later become a monumental figure at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
Born on 29 November 1908 in Frankfurt, Germany, Debus was an electrical engineer by trade, gaining a bachelors, masters and doctorate degree in the field at Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. Soon after he became part of the Nazi Party’s attempt at creating a ballistic missile, known as the V-2 rocket, along with famous Nazi-turned-US scientist Wernher von Braun – a pioneer of rocketry and space science and engineering. After the war Debus – along with 1,600 other scientists – was relocated to the United States and carried on the work designing rockets and missiles.
Debus adjusted to US life, first working at Fort Bliss in Texas before relocating again to Huntsville, Alabama. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Debus and his team were making headway with the new Redstone missile programme, with new facilities being built for it at Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, missiles were no longer the focus in the 1960s, as the United States President at the time, John F. Kennedy, announced they would instead aim for the Moon.
During this period the ballistic missile launch site at Cape
Canaveral was transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the site was renamed NASA’s Launch Operations Center. This was later changed to honour the assassinated president who laid the foundations for this historic adventure, and it has been called the John F. Kennedy Space Center ever since.
Debus was the figurehead in the assembly, construction and development of the spaceport, including its launch pads and Vehicle Assembly Building, which is still the tallest single-story building in the world, standing at 160 metres (530 feet). Debus officially became the first centre director, and continued to operate the Kennedy Space Center for 12 years, leading the institute during arguably its most fruitful period until his retirement in November 1974.
Debus and von Braun have been credited as the dynamic duo that played a huge part from the ballistic missile programme through to the United States’ aim to get to the Moon, with von Braun building the rocket and Debus building the spaceport it would launch from.
Due to his incredible service to the United States, Debus received its highest civilian decoration, the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal, adding to his awards that include the Commander's Cross of the order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal – awarded twice: once for Apollo 8 and again for Apollo 11 – and was elected into the National Space Hall of Fame. There is even a ‘Debus Award’ – started in 1990 by the National Space Club Florida Committee (NSCFL), it is awarded to an individual who has stood out in its aerospace efforts.