July 27, 2022
On this date in 1934, Wernher Von Braun received his doctoral degree in Germany. His published thesis, “About Combustion Tests,” was completed very quickly. His actual thesis – “Construction, Theoretical, and Experimental Solution to the Problem of the Liquid Propellant Rocket” – was later revealed to be a classified Army document. This thesis was dated April 16, 1934, but did not surface until 70 years later. It detailed the construction and design of the A2 rocket that would fly later that year.
Wernher von Braun in his office at Marshall Space Flight Center, with models of the Saturn rocket family. Image credit: MSFC/NASA