Wernher von Braun's 1952 vision for a manned Mars mission

Wernher von Braun, a pivotal figure in rocketry and former Nazi SS officer who later became instrumental in the U.S. space program, outlined a remarkably detailed vision for a manned mission to Mars in his 1952 book, "Das Marsprojekt" (The Mars Project).

Published by Umschau Verlag in Frankfurt, the book, which has not been translated into French, presented a comprehensive technological strategy for interplanetary travel. Von Braun, renowned for developing the V-2 rocket and later the Saturn V moon rocket, was captivated by the idea of reaching the Red Planet.

In his 1952 work, von Braun projected an ambitious expedition to launch in 1965. This mission was envisioned to involve a massive fleet of ten spacecraft, assembled in Earth orbit, carrying a crew of 70 individuals. The plan included specialized glider-like craft designed for landing on Mars.

According to von Braun's detailed projections, three of these gliders would descend to the Martian surface, with one equipped with skis to land on the planet's north polar ice cap. A total of 50 astronauts were planned to live on Mars for over a year, conducting exploration and research on the alien world.