Wernher Von Braun (in civilian clothing) Wikipedia
NASA is for some reason celebrating the fact that its James Webb Space Telescope’s science team was given an award named for a Nazi war criminal. The team won the Wernher Von Braun Memorial Award which is given in odd-numbered years to “recognize excellence in management of and leadership for a space-related project that is significant and successful and shows strong management skills and team cohesion.”
But maybe it should be granted to people who use slave labor – working people to death – for their own vanity in advancing their names in scientific history while ignoring the atrocities committed by the most evil regime that ever existed.
The award is given by the National Space Society (NSS) which calls itself the “preeminent citizen’s voice on space exploration, development, and settlement.” The NSS says its vision is “People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.”
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Maybe they should acknowledge their lack of vision. Maybe NSS stands for something else entirely. (We’ll let you use your imagination here to figure out what that could be.)
Obviously, some people will say that Wernher Von Braun was not a Nazi, that he only joined the Party since he was forced to do so for his work. First, this is false since he applied to join the party of his own volition to further his career. And, Von Braun could have refused and gone to work doing something else.
As for his work on the V2 rockets that Germany launched indiscriminately at British cities at the end of World War II, some people will say Wernher Von Braun was just doing his duty as a patriot and should be judged no differently than anyone who served a lowly private in the German Army.
Well, this is just plain dumb.
First of all, Wernher Von Braun knew at the time that the war was basically lost and he certainly knew that the work he was doing was in the furtherance of an evil and murderous regime, not to help the German people. He could have and should have at the very least slowed down the pace of his work or something like that.
Also, some might say that the British and the Americans were bombing German cities from the air at that time so what’s the difference? See above!
Finally, some claim Wernher Von Braun did not know that the work he was doing was enabled by slave labor or what the Germans were really doing to innocent civilians all across Europe nor the massacres of countless Jews.
As a very wise man once said, Gimmee a break!
Wernher Von Braun himself admitted that he knew about the slave labor camps and even visited them.
In a time that everyone is talking about being “Woke,” maybe it’s time that NASA finally woke up and acknowledged the truth about Wernher Von Braun. The very least they can do is stop accepting prizes named for him, or at least stop bragging about it.
