Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (/ˌvɜːrnər vɒn ˈbraʊn/ VUR-nər von BROWN, German: [ˌvɛʁnheːɐ̯ fɔn ˈbʁaʊ̯n]; 23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977) was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and later a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States. Von Braun is widely seen as the "father of space travel", the "father of rocket science" or the "father of the American lunar program". He advocated a human mission to Mars.