flâneur

IM — The Wernher von Braun Method

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In the aftermath of World War II, the architect of the Nazi’s V-2 rocket program Wernher Von Braun lived in seclusion along with 150 of his men in the deserts of west Texas. They were there to work on the US Army’s Project Fireball, which entailed launching V-2 rockets at a remote range. The Germans soon started using another name for their work, dubbing it Project Icebox. The Americans were putting their rocket ambitions on ice with the Army not allowing Von Braun to undertake any new rocket projects, publish research, or conduct planning related to space. These restrictions left Von Braun in despair. Since he was a boy, he had been fixated by dreams of space travel. He now believed that his lifelong ambition may be over and lamented to his colleagues that “Space isn’t our problem. Our problem is time.” The V-2 was primarily the product of a small group of men who worked together for many years. Growing older these men believed the window was closing for them to achieve their goal of

Note from the Editors: This essay is contained in our fifth print edition, Futurism Reloaded. How Science-Fiction created the Future In the aftermath of World War II, the architect of the Nazi’s V-2 rocket program Wernher Von Braun lived in seclusion along with 150 of his men in the deserts of west Texas. They were there to work on the US Army’s Project Fireball, which entailed launching V-2 rockets at a remote range. The Germans soon started using another name for their work, dubbing it Project Icebox. The Americans were putting their rocket ambitions on ice with the Army not allowing Von…

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