The story of how nuclear weapons technology was repurposed to build the rockets that carried humans to the Moon is one of the most remarkable transformations in the history of technology. The same engineering principles, propulsion systems, and organizational capabilities that produced instruments of mass destruction were redirected toward one of humanity's greatest peaceful achievements. The journey from warhead to spacecraft reveals how military technology can be converted to civilian purposes, though never without moral complexity. The connection between nuclear weapons and space exploration was not metaphorical but direct and personal. Wernher von Braun, the chief architect of the Saturn V rocket that launched Apollo missions to the Moon, had previously designed the V-2 ballistic missile for Nazi Germany using slave labor from concentration cam ...