3.3 Four Founders of Modern Rocketry and Astronautics
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liquid rocket was not only similar to that of Goddard but also he had more in-depth
and forward-looking in the studied on astronautic theory. The next year, Oberth was
eventually awarded a Ph.D. degree in physics with the same rocketry dissertation
that he had written before, by the University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Furthermore,
he privately published his 92-page work as the somewhat controversial book, “The
Rocket ”, which is mainly composed of three parts as follows:
(1) The first part is the general problems of rocket motion, including the basic
equations of rocketry, the escape velocity and the jet velocity of the engine.
(2) The second part is the detailed designs of high-altitude rockets, in which the
rocket propellants with liquid fuels and the advantages of liquid oxygen and
alcohol as propellants are focused on, as well as the feasibility of utilizing the
rockets to studying high-altitude atmosphere is discussed.
(3) The third part is theoretically to describe the spaceships and to discuss the
problems of flying to the Moon, Mars and Venus by the spaceships.
This book was very popular, especially among young people. The first edition
soon sold out, and then the second edition was published once again at the end of
1923. Max Valier, a young freelance science writer and one of the founders of the
German Spaceflight Society, had adapted the book into a popular work, “The Advance
into Space”, and published it many times, once again improving Oberth’s popularity
among the German and European publics. Under the influence of Oberth’s works,
Willy Ley, a 19-year-old student majored in biology, devoted to studying rocketry
and later became the backbone of the German Spaceflight Society, writing many
books on astronautic science and scientific history. Moreover, Oberth’s works would
also have a huge and life-changing impact on 10-year-old Wernher von Braun, later
becoming a giant in both German and American rocket engineering. To support
himself and his family, Oberth had taught physics and mathematics at the Stephan
Ludwig Roth High School in Medias, Romania, from 1924 to 1938.
In 1928, a famous German director, Fritz Lang, was making a science fiction film
called “The Woman on the Moon”, in which there are scenes set in outer space, and
invited Oberth as a scientific consultant. One of Oberth’s main assignments was to
build and launch a rocket as a publicity event just before the film’s premiere. He also
designed the model of the “Friede”, the main rocket portrayed in the film. The film
was of enormous value in popularizing the ideas of rocketry and space exploration.
With Lang’s strong support, Oberth then carried out rocket developments and tests,
but they were not successful. In 1929, Oberth won the first REP-Hirsch Prize of the
French Astronomical Society for his outstanding contribution to studying astronautic
science. He used the 1000 Francs prize from the REP-Hirsch to publish his book,
“Ways to Space Flight”.
It was under the influence of Oberth’s unremitting efforts and his astronautic
monographs that the German military first realized the great military strategic significance of studying rockets and supported the relevant research work. After the
outbreak of the Second World War, Oberth was invited to participate in rocket
researches at the Technical College in Vienna, Austria and then was transferred to the
Technical College in Dresden, Germany, to develop the fuel pumps of large rockets.
121
liquid rocket was not only similar to that of Goddard but also he had more in-depth
and forward-looking in the studied on astronautic theory. The next year, Oberth was
eventually awarded a Ph.D. degree in physics with the same rocketry dissertation
that he had written before, by the University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Furthermore,
he privately published his 92-page work as the somewhat controversial book, “The
Rocket ”, which is mainly composed of three parts as follows:
(1) The first part is the general problems of rocket motion, including the basic
equations of rocketry, the escape velocity and the jet velocity of the engine.
(2) The second part is the detailed designs of high-altitude rockets, in which the
rocket propellants with liquid fuels and the advantages of liquid oxygen and
alcohol as propellants are focused on, as well as the feasibility of utilizing the
rockets to studying high-altitude atmosphere is discussed.
(3) The third part is theoretically to describe the spaceships and to discuss the
problems of flying to the Moon, Mars and Venus by the spaceships.
This book was very popular, especially among young people. The first edition
soon sold out, and then the second edition was published once again at the end of
1923. Max Valier, a young freelance science writer and one of the founders of the
German Spaceflight Society, had adapted the book into a popular work, “The Advance
into Space”, and published it many times, once again improving Oberth’s popularity
among the German and European publics. Under the influence of Oberth’s works,
Willy Ley, a 19-year-old student majored in biology, devoted to studying rocketry
and later became the backbone of the German Spaceflight Society, writing many
books on astronautic science and scientific history. Moreover, Oberth’s works would
also have a huge and life-changing impact on 10-year-old Wernher von Braun, later
becoming a giant in both German and American rocket engineering. To support
himself and his family, Oberth had taught physics and mathematics at the Stephan
Ludwig Roth High School in Medias, Romania, from 1924 to 1938.
In 1928, a famous German director, Fritz Lang, was making a science fiction film
called “The Woman on the Moon”, in which there are scenes set in outer space, and
invited Oberth as a scientific consultant. One of Oberth’s main assignments was to
build and launch a rocket as a publicity event just before the film’s premiere. He also
designed the model of the “Friede”, the main rocket portrayed in the film. The film
was of enormous value in popularizing the ideas of rocketry and space exploration.
With Lang’s strong support, Oberth then carried out rocket developments and tests,
but they were not successful. In 1929, Oberth won the first REP-Hirsch Prize of the
French Astronomical Society for his outstanding contribution to studying astronautic
science. He used the 1000 Francs prize from the REP-Hirsch to publish his book,
“Ways to Space Flight”.
It was under the influence of Oberth’s unremitting efforts and his astronautic
monographs that the German military first realized the great military strategic significance of studying rockets and supported the relevant research work. After the
outbreak of the Second World War, Oberth was invited to participate in rocket
researches at the Technical College in Vienna, Austria and then was transferred to the
Technical College in Dresden, Germany, to develop the fuel pumps of large rockets.