Waiting for an Angel

Helon Habila traces the lineage of the Apollo moon landing back to the reactionary modernism of the Third Reich, using the life of Wernher von Braun as a narrative thread. The book examines von Braun’s trajectory from developing the V2 ballistic missile for Hitler to becoming a celebrated figure in the American space program, framing his career as a case study in the ethics of technology. Habila argues that von Braun represents a broader archetype of twentieth-century technologists who thrived under regimes of military secrecy and unlimited funding, regardless of political ideology.

The writing adopts a journalistic and analytical register, investigating the shared values of technology in both totalitarian and democratic societies. By juxtaposing the crumbling of Weimar Germany with the Cold War imperatives of the United States, the text raises questions about the moral compromises inherent in the pursuit of material progress. It serves as a historical critique of how scientific expertise can be co-opted by state power, offering a sobering perspective on the dawn of the space age.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.