In 1935, he was brought to the United States under the auspices of the
American Rocket Society, and became a U.S. citizen in 1944. His
literary works on astronautics and astro-history are considered
classics in their field. His writings on what might be accomplished in
astronautics with technology encouraged many young people to pursue
careers in the astronautic sciences and technologies where they managed
to turn his writings into reality. As an early advocate of space
travel, Willy Ley helped usher in the rocket age.