Dr. Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun , a German physicist and astronautics engineer, became one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. Wernher von Braun is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket scientist of the 20th century.

While still in his 20s and early 30s, von Braun was the central figure in Germany's pre-war rocket development program and was responsible for the design and realization of the V-2 combat rocket during World War II. After the war, he and some of his rocket team were brought to the United States through the then-secret Operation Overcast. In 1955, ten years after entering the country, von Braun became a naturalized U.S. citizen.