Karl Heimburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Heimburg
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| Born |
Karl Ludwig Heimburg
January 29, 1910 Lindenfels, Germany
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| Died | January 26, 1997 (aged 86) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt (1935) |
| Known for | MSFC Test Division director |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Inga Holtz |
| Children | 3 |
Karl Ludwig Heimburg (born January 29, 1910, died January 26, 1997) was an engineer who helped design rockets. He was German-American and came to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip. He was a key member of the team led by Wernher von Braun that developed rockets. Later, he became the first director of the Test Division at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
Early Life and Education
Karl Heimburg was born in Lindenfels, Germany, on January 29, 1910. He studied engineering at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and graduated in 1935. After college, he worked for a short time at a coal mine.
In 1936, he made some comments that caused trouble with the German police. Because of this, he traveled through the Soviet Union in 1937. He eventually reached Japan and started working in Tokyo.
Rocket Work in Germany
Heimburg returned to Germany in 1941. He was then asked to join the army and assigned to the Peenemünde Army Research Center. This was a secret place where rockets were developed.
At Peenemünde, he worked with Ludwig Roth on the A7 rocket project. After this project was stopped, he worked on different test stands. One important one was Test Stand VII, which was the main place for testing the V-2 rocket.
In 1943, Peenemünde was bombed. Heimburg then moved to Lehesten. There, he continued to work on testing engines for the V-2 rockets that were being built.
Moving to the United States
After World War II ended, Karl Heimburg was chosen to join Operation Paperclip. This was a special program that brought German scientists and engineers to the United States. He was among the first group to arrive on December 6, 1945.
He first worked with the rocket team at Fort Bliss and White Sands. In 1960, he became one of the first members of the new Marshall Space Flight Center. Wernher von Braun chose Heimburg to be the director of the center's Test Division.
In January 1969, Heimburg received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. This award was given for his important work on the Apollo 8 mission, which was a major step in space exploration.]
