William Mrazek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Mrazek
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| Born | October 20, 1911 Lukavac, Austria-Hungary
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| Died | February 8, 1992 (aged 80) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
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| Resting place | Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama) |
| Alma mater | Deutsche Technische Hochschule, Brünn (1935) |
| Spouse(s) | Berta Mrazek |
| Children | 3 |
William "Willi" Mrazek (born October 20, 1911 – died February 8, 1992) was a German-American engineer. He was an expert in "loads engineering," which means he figured out how much stress and force rockets could handle. Mrazek was an important member of the "von Braun rocket group." This group helped design some of the most powerful rockets ever built.
Mrazek first worked at a place called Peenemünde Army Research Center in Germany. Later, he moved to the United States through a special program called Operation Paperclip. In the U.S., he worked at Fort Bliss and then at the Marshall Space Flight Center. There, he played a big part in creating the mighty Saturn V rocket. This rocket was used to send astronauts to the Moon!
Early Life and Education
William Mrazek was born in 1911 in a place that was then part of Austria-Hungary. He went to the Deutsche Technische Hochschule. In 1935, he earned his engineering degree from this university.
After finishing his studies, Mrazek served in the military. He was involved in World War II and got an injury during his service. After his injury, he started working at Peenemünde. This was a secret research center in Germany where rockets were developed. He worked there from 1941 to 1945.
Moving to the United States
After World War II, the United States wanted to bring over talented German scientists and engineers. This special program was called Operation Paperclip. In 1946, William Mrazek was one of the experts invited to come to the U.S. He arrived with Wernher von Braun and his team at Fort Bliss on April 8.
Working on Space Rockets
Mrazek later joined the Marshall Space Flight Center. This is a big NASA center in Alabama. In 1960, he became the Director of the Structures and Mechanics Division. This meant he was in charge of making sure rocket parts were strong and safe. By 1969, he was an Assistant Director for Engineering.
From 1965 to 1970, Mrazek had a very important job. He was the Chief Engineer for all the work on the Saturn V rocket. The Saturn V was a huge rocket that took astronauts to the Moon. Mrazek and his team were responsible for making sure the rocket was designed and built correctly.
During the Saturn V project, Mrazek and his team sometimes had disagreements with other companies helping to build the rocket. For example, they had a discussion with North American Aviation about how strong certain parts of the rocket, like the S-II stage, needed to be. These discussions were important to make sure the rocket was as safe and powerful as possible.
