PIX4658101: Wernher von Braun - 1964 - Wernher von Braun - 1964 - Wernher von Braun (1912 - 1977), German engineer, inventor of V2 missiles and father of the Saturn V rocket that took the first men to the Moon. He is photographed here in 1964 in his office as director of Nasa's Marshall Space Center. Dr. Wernher von Braun served as Marshall Space Flight Center's first director from July 1, 1960 until January 27, 1970. Following World War II, Dr. von Braun and his German colleagues arrived in the United States under Project Paperclip to continue their rocket development work. Under von Braun's leadership, Marshall developed the Saturn V launch vehicle which took Apollo astronauts to the moon. This photo depicts by Braun in his office at MSFC / Bridgeman Images