ROCKETING INTO SPACE

There are two legacies left behind by the V-2 rocket. While one is of disaster and destruction, the deadly missile’s technology was later used in a key milestone of space travel. Wernher von Braun and some of his colleagues moved to the US after WWII, where they worked to develop the Saturn V. The V-2 rocket became the first to enter space during a test carried out by the Nazis in 1944. During this test, the rocket passed the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. After the war, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower moved the rocket development centre from the army to NASA to change the focus of von Braun’s work. At NASA, the rocket scientist had to alter the advanced technology to produce a rocket that could stay in space rather than one designed to fall on cities. His team’s experience in handling the large V-2 rocket assisted the US in the Space Race, with von Braun becoming the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle. This vehicle successfully brought the first astronauts to the Moon in 1969.