Page 17 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

 Wernher von Braun with President John Kennedy and a model of a Saturn launcher.
By the end of World War II German scientists like von Braun were world leaders in the rocketry field, still making good use of the pioneering work of Robert Goddard.
After the war von Braun and his group were transferred to the U.S. Army. By 1952 von Braun was technical director (then chief) of the U.S. Army ballistic- weapons program and later became a U.S. citizen. He was important in developing the spaceflight program.
It was von Braun’s team that launched the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. With the founding of NASA von Braun was transferred to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Centre, where he became director and supervised the development of large space launch vehicles, such as Saturn I, IB, and V (see page 20).
aerodynamic A shape offering as little resistance to the air as possible.
ballistic missile A rocket that is guided up in a high arching path; then the fuel supply is cut, and it is allowed to fall to the ground.
gimbals A framework that allows anything inside it to move in a variety of directions.
nasa The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
payload The spacecraft that is carried into space by a launcher.
rocket engine A propulsion system that burns liquid fuel such as liquid hydrogen.
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