Q 01/05

Wernher von Braun was the chief architect of which rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the Moon?

A) Saturn V

B) Titan II

C) Atlas-Centaur

D) Delta IV

Answer · why

A) Saturn V

The super heavy-lift launcher gained its fifth first-stage engine because von Braun's conservative C-4 design had a crossbeam strong enough to take it...

Q 02/05

Which World War II rocket did von Braun help design and co-develop at Peenemünde?

A) The V-1

B) The Me 163

C) The V-2

D) The Rheinbote

Answer · why

C) The V-2

Its army designation was A-4; the propaganda name stood for Vergeltungswaffe 2, or Vengeance Weapon 2.

Q 03/05

Von Braun's V-2 became the first artificial object to cross the Kármán line in which year?

A) 1938

B) 1940

C) 1942

D) 1944

Answer · why

D) 1944

The vertical test launch MW 18014 on 20 June 1944 crossed the 100 km boundary months before the first combat firing at England.

Q 04/05

Under which secret program was von Braun brought to the United States after the war?

A) Operation Alsos

B) Operation Osoaviakhim

C) Operation Backfire

D) Operation Paperclip

Answer · why

D) Operation Paperclip

It was initially called Operation Overcast; about 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians came over under it.

Q 05/05

Von Braun's rockets launched which satellite, America's first, in 1958?

A) Vanguard 1

B) Telstar 1

C) Echo 1

D) Explorer 1

Answer · why

D) Explorer 1

It went up on 31 January 1958, after the Navy's Vanguard had embarrassingly failed on the pad.