Arthur Rudolph, born on November 9, 1906, in Stepfershausen, Germany, was a German-American engineer who played a significant role in the development of rocket technology. Rudolph was involved in the Nazi Germany’s V-2 rocket program during World War II, where he served as the production manager at the underground Mittelwerk facility.

After the war, Rudolph was brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, a program to recruit German scientists and engineers for American military and aerospace projects. He worked for NASA, where he made significant contributions to the Saturn V rocket program, which ultimately enabled the Apollo missions to the Moon.

However, Rudolph’s involvement in forced labor during the war became controversial, leading to investigations by the U.S. government. In 1984, facing deportation due to his wartime activities, Rudolph chose to renounce his U.S. citizenship and returned to Germany, where he lived until his death in 1996.