Wernher von Braun's biography leads like no other right into the centres of power of the 20th century. Under Hitler, his rockets touched space; through Kennedy's moon landing programme, they finally brought the first humans to the moon. But Wernher von Braun's biography is just as incomparable for the conflicts and catastrophes of the past century, for the question of guilt and responsibility of the outstanding engineer and manager, whom some would like to see placed in a row with Columbus and Copernicus.

The intensive research of the past years has rounded off the picture of Wernher von Braun more and more, but also brought surprising things to light. On this basis and according to the book by Stefan Brauburger and Dirk Kämper, an exciting portrait of the visionary and scientist Wernher von Braun emerges, at the end of which the question arises whether one of the greatest triumphs of human inventiveness could ultimately only spring from the spirit of war and destruction.