Question: When was the author of the novel about fictional astronauts John Mason and Larry Carter born?

Context paragraphs:
Clermont (Alexandria, Virginia): Clermont was an 18th-century plantation in Fairfax County (now Alexandria), Virginia, United States.  Clermont is best known as the home of John Mason (April 4, 1766 – March 19, 1849), an early American merchant and planter and a son of George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States.  Clermont is also known for being the birthplace of Fitzhugh Lee (November 9, 1835 – April 18, 1905), nephew of Robert E. Lee, grandson of John Mason, Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War.

Wernher von Braun: Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German, later American, aerospace engineer and space architect credited with inventing the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany and the Saturn V for the United States.  He was the leading figure in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the father of rocket technology and space science in the United States.

Henry Josselyn: Henry Josselyn (also spelled Jocelyn; died ca. 1683) was an early settler of northern New England.  He was first retained by John Mason, the proprietor of the territory that later became New Hampshire, to administer his holdings.  Arriving at the Piscataqua River in 1634, he administered Mason's settlement (roughly including present-day Portsmouth and some nearby communities) until Mason's death in 1635.  (In some New Hampshire histories he is styled as "governor" of the Mason properties).  He thereafter moved further up the coast, settling in what is now Scarborough, Maine.  He briefly acted as deputy governor of the Province of Maine in the colonial administration of Thomas Gorges, before the area came under the control of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He was opposed to Massachusetts rule, and was arrested on one occasion for his resistance.  When the area was granted to James, Duke of York in 1664, it became part of the Province of New York, and Josselyn was appointed a magistrate.

John Mason House (Winchester, Massachusetts): The John Mason House is a historic house at 10 Hillside Avenue in Winchester, Massachusetts.  This two story wood frame house was built sometime in the 1860s, probably for Joshua Stone, who sold it to John Mason sometime before 1875.  Mason was one of the first Boston businessmen to establish a suburban residence in Winchester.  The house has a variety of high-style Italianate features, including a characteristic low-pitch hip roof with decorative brackets, and a three-bay front facade in which paired narrow windows are topped by decorative framing.  The front entry is sheltered by a portico supported by multiple columns and pilasters, with a bracketed roof.

Mason's Island: Mason's Island (Algonquin: "Chippachaug - meaning: a separated place"); an inhabited island at the mouth of the Mystic River, in Stonington, Connecticut.  The island was named after Major John Mason who was granted the island in recognition for his military services in the 1637 Pequot War in nearby Mystic.  This island remained in the Mason family for over 250 years from 1651 to 1913.  Since then the Allyn family have been stewards of this special place and most of the island is owned by the Mason's Island Company and regulated by property deeds under the Mason's Island Property Owners Association (MIPOA).  The Mason's Island Marina and the Mystic River Marina are located on the north end of the island.  Mason's Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway.

Basil John Mason: Sir Basil John Mason, CB, FRS (18 August 1923 – 6 January 2015), better known as John Mason, was an expert on cloud physics and former Director-General of the Meteorological Office from 1965 to 1983 and Chancellor of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) from 1994 to 1996.

Countdown (Rush song): "Countdown" is a song by Rush from their 1982 album "Signals".  Its lyrics are about the first launch of the Space Shuttle "Columbia", which the band members watched from a VIP area called "Red Sector A" (the name was later used for a song on the band's next album, "Grace Under Pressure").  The song incorporates audio from voice communications between astronauts John W. Young and Robert Crippen and ground control along with commentary from the Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Officer leading up to the launch.

Travis Carter: Travis Carter (born November 21, 1949) is a former car owner and crew chief in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  He served as crew chief for two decades, winning championships with Benny Parsons and Cale Yarborough in 1973 and 1978, respectively.  Carter was the winning crew chief when Parsons won the 1975 Daytona 500.  He owned Travis Carter Motorsports from 1970 to 2003.  He is the uncle of NASCAR crew chief Larry Carter, and the father of NASCAR driver Matt Carter.

John Mason House (Lexington, Massachusetts): The John Mason House is an historic First Period house on 1303 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington, Massachusetts.  It is a 2-1/2 story wood frame structure, its main block three bays wide, with a side gable roof, clapboard siding, and two chimneys set behind the roof ridge.  A leanto section to the rear gives it a saltbox profile, and an ell extends to the right.  The oldest portion of the house, a three-bay portion of its main block, was built c. 1715.  The building has been repeatedly extended and altered over the years.  John Mason, its builder, was a prominent local citizen.

First Men to the Moon: First Men to the Moon is a novel by rocketry expert Wernher von Braun, published in 1960.  It tells the story of John Mason and Larry Carter, fictional astronauts traveling to the moon.

Supporting paragraphs: First Men to the Moon Wernher von Braun
Answer: March 23, 1912