That Time Wernher Von Braun’s Rocket Tried To Kill My Father (Repost)

Key Takeaways

• V‑2 launch nearly hit Keith Cowing’s father in 1945.
• Captured V‑2 tech seeded US missile and space programs.
• Saturn V, V‑2 descendant, enabled Apollo Moon landings.
• Artemis SLS inherits Saturn‑V heritage for lunar return.
• V‑2 design still powers North Korean and Iranian missiles.

Summary

On March 18, 1945, Germany’s Battery 485 launched a V‑2 missile from The Hague that struck London minutes later, narrowly missing the father of NASA Watch founder Keith Cowing. The V‑2’s groundbreaking propulsion and guidance technology was seized after the war and became the foundation of the United States’ early missile and space programs. Engineers from the V‑2 team, led by Wernher von Braun, later built the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the Moon and now inform NASA’s Artemis launch system. The post highlights how a wartime weapon evolved into a catalyst for lunar exploration while its design still fuels modern ballistic missiles.

Pulse Analysis

On March 18, 1945, Germany’s Battery 485 fired a V‑2 missile from the Statenkwartier site in The Hague. The ballistic weapon traveled across the North Sea and struck London minutes later, narrowly missing the father of NASA Watch founder Keith Cowing. The V‑2, the world’s first long‑range guided rocket, represented a breakthrough in propulsion, guidance, and materials that would later be seized by the United States after World II. Those captured technologies formed the backbone of America’s early missile and space programs.

Wernher von Braun and many of his V‑2 engineers were recruited to lead the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, eventually creating the Redstone and the Saturn series. The Saturn V, a direct descendant of the V‑2, powered Apollo’s lunar missions and remains the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown. Today’s Artemis program relies on the Space Launch System, a modern reinterpretation of the Saturn heritage, to return humans to the Moon. The personal anecdote underscores how a weapon that once threatened civilians became the catalyst for humanity’s first steps on another world.

The same V‑2 design principles continue to appear in contemporary ballistic missiles fielded by North Korea and Iran, illustrating the dual‑use nature of rocket technology. As nations modernize their arsenals, the legacy of von Braun’s work raises policy questions about proliferation, export controls, and the peaceful use of space. Understanding this lineage helps policymakers balance security concerns with the ambition to expand lunar exploration. The story reminds industry leaders that today’s commercial launch vehicles, from SpaceX’s Starship to Blue Origin’s New Glenn, trace their roots to a wartime weapon that once almost killed a journalist’s father.