Maria von Braun, widow of rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun and a prominent figure in America's early space program, died Jan. 20 at her home in Alexandria. She was 96. Born Maria von Quistorp in ...

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Maria von Braun, widow of rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun and a prominent figure in America's early space program, died Jan. 20 at her home in Alexandria. She was 96.

Although Von Braun was an officer in the German Schutzstaffel, or SS, he often claimed he only did so to avoid imprisonment. In fact, in March of 1944, Nazi officials tried to prosecute him for ...

Von Braun died prematurely of cancer at age 65 in 1977 and thus missed the storm that broke out seven years later. One of his closest associates, Arthur Rudolph, voluntarily went back to Germany ...

Aeronautics Provenance Mary M. Biddle, Gift, 2011, NASM.2011.0019. Creator Von Braun, Wernher, 1912-1977 Summary Wernher Magnus Maximilian von Braun (1912--1977) was a pioneer in rocketry. This ...