Werner von Braun was a key element in the U.S. Space Program. Fast Forwarding to the present, IBM has recognized that U.S. students train behind their international peers from Bangalore to Beijing in math and science test scores. With the U.S. announcing a moon mission for 2018, we’re going to need a cargo hold-full of math and science wizards.

Hitler’s SS and Gestapo arrested von Braun for crimes against the state because he talked crazily about building Earth-orbiting and Moon-destined rockets. They said he should’ve been concentrating on building bigger and better bombs. He was released, however, as Captain Walter Dornberger—with whom von Braun had previously worked on successful liquid-fueled aircraft and jet-assisted takeoff programs—convinced the Nazis that, without von Braun, there would be no V2. With no V2, there would be a lot of dead rocket scientists.

Von Braun saw the handwriting on the wall, assembled his staff, and discussed surrender—and to whom. Deciding to surrender to the Americans, the group of 500 people stole a train (with 300 train carloads of spare V2 parts) with fake papers. Eventually, the group found an American private and surrendered to him. The private recognized the importance of these engineers and, making a long story short, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull approved the transfer of von Braun’s German rocket specialists on June 20, 1945: a transfer known as Operation Paperclip (since the paperwork of those selected to come to the U.S. were indicated by paperclips.)

To say that this was a coup for the U.S. rocket program—and later, the Space Program—would be a gross understatement.

Again, the U.S. is turning to those from other countries for math- and science-intensive positions. IBM has stepped forward, ‘worried that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge,’ starting a program through which the company will financially back employees who want to leave the company to become math and science teachers. In its trial phase, up to 100 IBM employees will be eligible for the program. According to CNN, ‘”Over a quarter million math and science teachers are needed, and it’s hard to tell where the pipeline is,” said Stanley Litow, head of the IBM Foundation, the Armonk, New York-based company’s community service wing. “This is like a ticking time bomb not just for technology companies, but for business and the U.S. economy.”‘

IBM expects near-retirement workers to be the most likely candidates, since they’re in a more appropriate position financially. If selected for the program, the employees would be allowed a leave of absence with full benefits and up to half of their salary, depending upon length of service. Employees could also get up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursements and stipends while they pursue teaching credentials and begin teaching.

Hopefully, some of the IBM employee-taught students will turn up at NASA just in time for the planned $100B, 2018 mission to the Moon—a launch pad and precursor to a later mission to Mars.

Showing ‘remarkable’ similarity to the previous Apollo program, the new project will use solid rocket fuel and require a return capsule to land on solid ground with the use of parachutes. Michael Griffin, NASA’s administrator, said that the new program could be considered as “Apollo on Steroids.” A four-person lunar expedition crew would make use of a Crew Exploration Vehicle fitted with solar panels—and would also extract fuel from the Moon.

Looking at the Hurricane Katrina disaster, one could easily question how such an expensive space program could even be considered. NASA’s Griffin says, “When we have a hurricane, we don’t cancel the Air Force. We don’t cancel the Navy. And we’re not going to cancel NASA.”

(Details of the Moon program can be found at the links below.)

Numerous, valuable, even life-saving technologies have trickled down from the space program to the Rest of Us (see link below, “NASA Explores. Humanity Benefits.”).

The questions remain, however. Can we afford to spend $100B to just get us to the Moon as a waypoint? Even if we can afford it, should we spend it?

SOURCES ‘N’ RESOURCES

NASA Unveils Moon Program
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/09/19/nasa.moon/index.html?section=cnn_space

Lunar Flight Plan
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/125171main_flight_plan_graphic.jpg

NASA Explores. Humanity Benefits. [PDF]
http://exploration.nasa.gov/documents/Benefits1.pdf

NASA Releases Plans for Next-Generation Spacecraft
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0509/S00356.htm

NASA Reaches for the Moon – As a Launch Pad to Mars
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article313792.ece

IBM Pushes Math and Science Education
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/biztech/09/16/ibm.education.ap/index.html?section=cnn_tech

Werner von Braun: Rocket Technology of 3rd Reich
http://www.battle-fleet.com/pw/his/werner_von_braun.htm