Portal:Space exploration/Biography/Week 11 2007

Arthur Louis Hugo Rudolph (9 November 1906 – 1 January 1996) was a rocket engineer for Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945 who helped develop and produce the V-2 rocket. After World War II he was brought to the United States and worked for the Army and NASA where he managed the development of several important systems including the Pershing missile and the Saturn V Moon rocket. In 1984 he was investigated for possible war crimes and renounced his US citizenship.

Germany protested to the United States Department of State, as Rudolph would have had no citizenship in any country. In July of 1983, Germany requested documentation to determine if Rudolph should be prosecuted or granted citizenship. After receiving documentation in April 1985, the case was investigated by the Attorney General of Hamburg. In March 1987, the investigation concluded after questioning a number of witnesses and determining no basis for prosecution. Rudolph, who then lived in Germany, was granted German citizenship.

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