2.7M views · Jul 5, 2007 · 1:46 · 3 HN recommenders · 20 mentions · discussed 2016–2026
Tom Lehrer's satirical song about Wernher von Braun, the German rocket scientist who went from the Nazi missile program to the US space program. It includes the famous line about not caring where the rockets come down.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN quotes it constantly, mostly as a joke or reference, whenever rocketry, engineers' ethics or skill-versus-morality comes up.
“Tom Lehrer is indeed a national treasure, and his satire is top shelf.”HN comment, 2020
“His amazing wit is just as biting today as it was when he originally composed most of his songs”
Live 1967 performance with wit that stays biting today.
Tom Lehrer performing "Wernher von Braun " live (1967): this video His amazing wit is just as biting today as it was when he originally composed most of his songs over half a century ago.
“Tom Lehrer is indeed a national treasure, and his satire is top shelf.”
Satirical song by a national treasure; recommended for those unfamiliar.
For those who aren't aware and/or won't look this reference: this video As the other comenter noted, Tom Lehrer is indeed a national treasure, and his satire is top shelf. From the light-hearted "The Elements": link (watch for the surprise at the end) To the gallows comedy of "We Will All Go Together When We Go": link NB: I appreciate the irony linking to YouTube content in a 'WTF Google/YouTube' thread.
“I recommend the original”
Original sung version carries sarcasm that text cannot.
The US (and Russian, by the way) appropriation of German scientists and Nazi party members post WWII is certainly controversial and there are plenty of people who strongly believe that they should have stood trial in Nuremberg instead of being given a new job with plenty of perks. As Tom Lehrer wrote: "Don't say that he's hypocritical, Say rather that he's apolitical. "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department, " says Wernher von Braun." The sarcasm dripping of those words is hard to replicate without hearing it sung, I recommend the original: this video
Added as a related link on von Braun.
This is necessarily true because the Nazi's were in power for less than 15 years. Nevertheless, many scientists, specifically those whose work was directly applicable to war effort received significant support. For example, Wernher von Braun, a large part of those thesis was classified. Also: this video
“it was the topic of a song by Tom Lehrer, America's greatest political satirist”
Satirical song about von Braun cited as the topic.
Aside from the serious history stuff that you haven't even tried to find, it was the topic of a song by Tom Lehrer, America's greatest political satirist: link this video
“Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department,”
Source for the quoted lyric.
> "I only invent the bomb, I don't drop it." "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department," says Wernher von Braun.[1] [1]: this video
“Reference is to Tom Lehrer, making fun of Von Braun's founding and running the Nazi's missile program”
Explains the song as mocking von Braun's Nazi-to-US missile career.
Reference is to Tom Lehrer, making fun of Von Braun's founding and running the Nazi's missile program, before emigrating to the U.S. and helping run _their_ missile program. OT: He ends with "[I can launch in] German and English, and am learning Chinese.. " - even 75 years ago it was understood by many that the upcoming superpower is China and not Russia. this video
1913 German edition (980 pages), link may be out of copyright in Germany. If so, it could be machine translated into English and improved by humans. Unabridged German editions are rare and expensive, e.g. link . 1971 abridged English translation quoted a leader of German and later American rocket and space programs, link Wernher von Braun: "I shall never forget how I devoured this novel with curiosity and excitement as a young man." From the dust jacket of the English translation: Lasswitz's Martians differ little from man physically, but ethically, intellectually, scientifically, and socially they are the prototype of the ideal human being. They seek to educate man, asking in return only air and energy to supplement the diminished supplies in their own, older world. The story revolves around a group of German scientists who, when seeking the North Pole, come upon a Martian settlement there. The Martians have built an artificial island, adapted to their physical needs, above which-6356 kilometers above-hovers their space station, a giant ring such as twentieth-century astronautical scientists have seriously speculated upon. ... More important than the fantastic technological developments in the story is the author's belief in the humanizing potential of science and technology and his vision of a utopian world based on the ideals and ideas which the Martians seek to transmit to the men of Earth. Kurd Lasswitz wrote his novel when scientific and industrial developments we
“Turns out skillset usually trumps justice, as long as you're willing to make the right post-hoc mea culpas.”
Cited as reference for skill outweighing justice.
Ref: this video Turns out skillset usually trumps justice, as long as you're willing to make the right post-hoc mea culpas.
"As an engineer, it doesn't make any difference what you do," he joked last week. ..reminds me of Tom Lehrer's take on Wernher von Braun [1] [1] this video
"Don't say that he's hypocritical Rather say that he's apolitical Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department, says says Werner von Braun" this video
It's been a few years since I last posted this, so I think I'm in the clear: this video "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down. That's not my department, says Wernher von Braun."
Which gives me an excuse to post a link of Tom Lehrer singing about Wernher von Braun: this video with the famous lines, "'Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department,' says Wernher von Braun."
> Exactly what about missiles is apolitical? "Once ze rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department, says Wernher von Braun" this video
"In German oder Englisch / I know how to count down / Und I'm learning Chinese" / says Wernher Von Braun this video
> everything becomes political, even if it really is a technical issue I'm being reminded of an old song by Tom Lehrer [ this video ]
V2 was of questionable legitimate military utility too. Sure you can hit a target the size of a city, but unlike carpet bombing, the payload isn't enough to guarantee that something specific is destroyed. So you can only use it to randomly harm civilians and maybe every once in a while hit a military target. Compare this with the Western Allies' approach where they also killed and maimed tons of civilians but at least stood some chance of also destroying the building-sized thing they were aiming at, given the stupefying tonnage of bombs involved. "Once the rockets go up, who cares where they come down? 'That's not my department,' says Werner Von Braun." -- Tom Lehrer this video
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department, " says Wernher von Braun. Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun: this video
For a different professor, there's Dr. Bob Altemeyer, who wrote a book in 2006 (after 40 years of research) that includes a section on evidence-based deradicalisation[0] of authoritarian followers, pp240-245: link (for objections, see [1]) That's nonfiction, and anachronistic. As far as fiction in the correct setting goes, I'm drawing a blank, and I even had to read things like "At the Bridge" and "The Tin Drum" in school (as well as watch dokus like "The White Rose" and "Triumph of the Will"[2]). Most stories I know are of the unrepentant[3]; maybe I can dig some repentant ones up later? [0] dereactionalisation? [1] some discussion at link [2] if I am overly paranoid, maybe it's because it's difficult to see anyone's GOAT propaganda these days and not compare it with Riefenstahl; she made the link ? [3] including, but not limited to: Oberleutnant (as he was then) "Kongo" Müller link link Generalmajor Reinhard Gehlen link link SS-Sturmbannführer Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun link link ("doctor were-ner von brawn") (see also link , and elsewhere on HN, for wholesale vs retail sellers) lagniappe: this video You too may be a big hero Once you've learned to count backwards to zero "In German, und Englisch, I know how to count down Und 我学习中文!" says Wernher von Braun EDIT: (haven't been using Gemini, sorry) Schwarzenegger's neighbours retreated into the bottle[4]: link [4] link
From by Tom Lehrer's "Wernher von Braun"[1], Don't say that he's hypocritical Say rather that he's apolitical "Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun 1. this video
