Werner Von Braun Special

The first view with human eyes of the Earth rising over the limb of the Moon. This was perhaps the greatest moment in education / public outreach for NASA until the first moon landing, and it was the picture that Stuhlinger sent to Sister Jucunda with the above letter. Image credit: NASA / Apollo 8.

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It’s a very different story than the kind we normally tell one another. In our modern world, we’re often looking for instant gratification, for a near-term reward or return, and for immediate improvement. But science isn’t always like that. Nuclear power wasn’t harnessed for decades after the idea was first proposed; the Higgs boson was only found after over 40 years had passed and billions of dollars were invested in its search; gravitational waves weren’t found until a full century had passed from Einstein’s theory to LIGO’s discovery. Yet each of these achievements, along with countless others, have helped bring about the modern world, with billions of people enjoying a higher quality of life than ever before.

The launch of Cassini, on October 15, 1997. This spectacular streak shot was taken from Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with a solid rocket booster retrieval ship in the foreground. The lessons we learn from exploring the Universe often translate to improvements in the quality of life here on Earth, albeit not immediately. Image credit: NASA.

I like to think that everyone in the world would share Stuhlinger’s vision, and that same commitment to invest in the Earth’s long term prosperity. Stuhlinger was the driving force behind Explorer 1, the United States’ first satellite to orbit the Earth, launched just months after Sputnik. Stuhlinger dreamed of a manned mission to Mars as early as 1958, and advocated for increased investment in science and exploration throughout his entire life. He passed away, at the age of 94, back in 2008, as one of the last surviving members of Operation Paperclip.

Missile expert Wernher von Braun (center) and missile expert Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger (L) inspecting a model of a rocket. Image credit: Walter Sanders / Time Life Pictures.