Von Braun Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War

This guy might well have been Gene Roddenbury's inspiration for the original Star Trek. Or at the very least, the lowest common denominator in the loss of human life statistic since the dreaded anopheles mosquito. People might argue that Oppenheimer had a bigger hand in that particular stat, however, the modern day delivery system used to deploy such high ordinance payloads hasn't changed very...more

This guy might well have been Gene Roddenbury's inspiration for the original Star Trek. Or at the very least, the lowest common denominator in the loss of human life statistic since the dreaded anopheles mosquito. People might argue that Oppenheimer had a bigger hand in that particular stat, however, the modern day delivery system used to deploy such high ordinance payloads hasn't changed very much from a basic engineering standpoint since Von Braun invented the original V-2 rocket! Way to go genius.Just kidding. The man was a peaceful visionary, who like most engineers and scientists, preferred to remain impartial to the inevitable profitable (see Military) uses for their life's work. The book helps to tie a few loose ends for Historians looking to point fingers however. All trust fund children and Ivy leaguers aside then, this book should be a stern warning that the Sciences need to be balanced by a healthy dose of Humanities if we are to continue to survive our innovations.   hide