Wernher von Braun Quotations

Dr. Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) was one of the most important rocket developers and champions of space exploration between the 1930s and 1970s. Von Braun came to the United States in September 1945 under contract with the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps as part of Operation Paperclip. He and his "rocket team" worked on rockets for the United States army. They were responsible for developing the Jupiter C Reentry Test Missile and launching the Free World’s first scientific earth satellite, Explorer 1. Von Braun also became one of the most prominent spokesmen of space exploration in the United States during the 1950s.

Here are some of the best known quotations from Dr. Wernher von Braun:

"I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution."

"Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing."

"There is just one thing I can promise you about the outer-space program: your dollar will go further."

"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming."

"Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft... and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor."

"Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month."