Ley, Willy (1906–1969)

German rocket scientist and writer. Ley took the lead in founding the German Society for Space Travel in 1927. He made it the centre of international activity in rocket research, bringing the likes of Wernher von Braun into the group, conducting important experiments, and in particular helping develop the liquid-fuel rocket. When the Nazis forced rocket research into military applications, he fled to the USA in 1935. Unable to find financial support for rocket research and space travel, he turned to writing about all aspects of science, from astronomy to zoology, and became widely known as a popularizer of science.

Ley was born in Berlin, Germany. He studied science at German universities, but abandoned his plan to be a geologist after reading in 1926 a work by the rocket scientist, Hermann Oberth. During World War II he advised Americans on bombs and explosive devices. He never lost his faith in the concept of space travel, writing numerous science fiction and non-fiction accounts, including the award-winning Conquest of Space (1949). He advised film-makers from Fritz Lang to Walt Disney on space travel.