Disneyland 1955 - Man in Space - Wernher von Braun

In 1955, Disney aired a series of educational films discussing the possible future of spaceflight. This particular instance is very interesting, as we see here Dr. Wernher von Braun had a design ready to go for a large launch vehicle. Remember that in 1955, no human being or man made object had been into space. Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, would not launch until 1957. Wernher von Braun was the original designer of the German V2 Rocket used during WW2, likely under command by the Nazi party, but his true passion was rocketry and space flight, not building bombs. Wernher von Braun would eventually go on to design the Saturn V, the most powerful rocket ever built, and the rocket that would sent humans to the Moon in 1969. Von Braun died of cancer in 1977, 5 years after Apollo 17, the last mission to the Moon. “Man in Space“ is an episode of Disneyland which originally aired on March 9, 1955. It was directed by Disney animator Ward Kimball. This Disneyland episode (set i