HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - The family of a former German rocket scientist who helped the U.S. send astronauts to the moon has donated his papers and memorabilia to the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The collection from the family of Konrad Dannenberg includes books, photos, awards, memorabilia, models and documents. Among them are the immigration papers when Dannenberg came to the U.S. after World War II to continue working with Dr. Wernher von Braun's team of rocket scientists.

Danneberg died in February at 96.

"It really makes it a legacy for him that lives beyond his lifetime,'' said his son, Klaus Dannenberg, who is deputy executive director for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Washington, D.C.

The family considered other institutions, including the Smithsonian, but several factors led them to choose UAH.

Klaus Dannenberg said that in Huntsville the papers and other items will remain readily available to family.

Researchers and historians will also find the collection conveniently near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal, which are all involved in preserving the von Braun team's legacy.

The scientist's widow, Jackie Dannenberg, told The Huntsville Times they found his working diaries for 1941-44 at Peenemuende, where von Braun led Germany's development of the V2 rockets.

"When you're looking back into the time period when we first penetrated space, here you have the log of what was tried, what worked, what didn't work, the corrections that they made,'' Klaus Dannenberg said. "I mean, it's kind of like finding the log for Christopher Columbus.''

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Information from: The Huntsville Times, http://www.al.com/huntsville

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AP-CS-11-07-09 1414EST