BRAUN, WERNHER VON

born , March 23, 1912, Wirsitz, Ger. died June 16, 1977, Alexandria, Va., U.S. German engineer who played a prominent role in all aspects of rocketry and space exploration, first in Germany and, after World War II, in the United States. Additional reading Books by Braun. Das Marsprojekt (1952; The Mars Project), a technical treatise on an expedition of 10 spacecraft with 70 men to Mars; Space Frontier, rev. ed. (1971), an easily understandable discussion of the fundamental principles of rocketry and space flight. Books by Braun and others. Across the Space Frontier (1952), Conquest of the Moon (1953), and Exploration of Mars (1956), a series of three popular books describing concepts for the exploration of space; History of Rocketry and Space Travel, rev. ed. (1969), an excellent history and reference work, profusely illustrated; Moon (1970), a tribute to the Apollo 11 lunar landing, including a history of man's study of the Moon. Biographies. Erik Bergaust, Reaching for the Stars (1960), a definitive and authoritative biography.