German engineer predicted man named ‘Elon’ would conquer Mars in 1952 novel

Nearly 70 years ago, a German engineer made predictions in a sci-fi novel that a man named ‘Elon’ would conquer Mars.

Pioneering aerospace engineer and science fiction writer Wernher von Braun may have predicted Elon Musk’s plan to colonise other worlds nearly 70 years ago when he described a man named “Elon” ruling over Mars.

Von Braun created the character “Elon” in his 1952 science fiction novel Project Mars, a space fantasy about a mission to Mars, according to a report.

The book’s predictions came to light a few years ago, but began trending on social media last week.

Von Braun, one of the most important scientists in the development of rocket technology, describes a Martian government led by 10 men, who worked under a leader “elected by universal suffrage for five years under the name or title of Elon”.

After World War II, Von Braun, who worked on rockets for the Nazis, was among a group of German scientists who was secretly moved to the US and worked on the exploration of outer space at NASA.

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The book’s predictions came to light a few years ago, but began trending on social media last week. Picture: Getty Images

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Musk, the founder of SpaceX, is among a group of billionaires with plans to colonise the Red Planet.

His company recently became the first private firm to launch astronauts into space.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission