Wernher von Braun

Von Braun's achievements in rocketry and space exploration are extraordinary by any measure. He led the development of the Saturn V, the most powerful rocket ever built, which remains the only launch vehicle to carry humans beyond low Earth orbit. His team launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958. He received the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor, in 1975. He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and the National Space Hall of Fame. His work directly enabled the Apollo Moon landings, a feat that has not been repeated since 1972. These accomplishments place him among the most influential engineers of the 20th century.