This report examines the complex and controversial career of Wernher von Braun, a pivotal figure in 20th-century rocketry. It details his professional life, beginning with his early work in Germany where he developed the V-2 rocket for the Nazi regime, a project heavily reliant on slave labor from concentration camps like Mittelwerk-Dora. The text then transitions to his post-war recruitment by the United States under Operation Paperclip, where his expertise was utilized to develop America's first ballistic missiles and, most notably, the Saturn V rocket that powered the Apollo program for NASA. Ultimately, the report highlights the "Faustian bargain" that defined his career, presenting him as a brilliant engineer driven by the singular ambition of space travel, who made significant moral compromises by aligning with any power that could fund his vision.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.