3.5 Entering the Age of Space Flight
143
hit accuracy of about 5%, which was never attained before. Dornberger required that
the new generation of rocket weapons should carry 1000 kg of explosives and have
a range of 250 km, which became the overall technical specifications for the design
of the A-4 rocket weapons. By further calculating and analyzing, it was shown that
the thrust of the A-4 rocket engine was required to reach 25,000 kgf, nearly 17 times
higher than the 1500 kgf thrust of the A-5 rocket, with the duration of 65 s, and
the accuracy of the radio telemetry and track system was required to far exceed the
technological level at that time. It needed systematically to study and solve a series
of the problems on basic theories and engineering techniques, mainly including three
aspects: firstly, to study aerodynamics, involving aerodynamic stability, supersonic
aerodynamics and aerodynamic heating; secondly, to study the guidance and control
system technology; thirdly, to develop the huge thrust rocket engines. Certainly,
under Dornberger’s strong leadership, the work was carried out with limited funds.
Von Braun was specifically responsible for the overall design of the A-4 rocket
project. In the entire process of studying, designing, testing and manufacturing the A4 rocket, there were many universities and research institutes in Germany undertaking
the related subsystem developments and experimental tasks. In October 1942, the
launch test of the A-4 rocket was successful, with an altitude of 85 km, a range of
190 km and a hit accuracy of 4 km. Apparently, the performance specifications of the
A-4 rocket was better than those of the Paris Gun. It is a milestone in the development
history of liquid rocket and aerospace technology. Both the superior officials from
the German military and the arms dealers came to watch the launch test of the A-4
rocket.
With the German army’s failures step by step in the battlefields, some superior
military officials began to place high hopes on the Army Force’s A-4 rocket weapons
and the Air Force’s V-1 cruise missiles. In the summer of 1943, Hitler assigned a
senior military mission to the Peenemünde Army Research Center to investigate
the launching demonstrations of A-4 rocket weapons and V-1 cruise missiles, of
which the range of A-4 rocket reached 260 km. After the military mission reported
its findings, Hitler summoned Dornberger and von Braun in person and said to
Dornberger: “I thank you. Why don’t I believe your work will succeed? I should
apologize to two men in my life, and only two men. Field Marshal Walter von
Brauchitsch, he has repeatedly reminded me of the importance of your research
work. Another is you, because I have never believed your work will succeed”. The
German authorities regarded the V-4 rockets as the strong weapons to recover the
defeat and specifically renamed it retribution 2, namely V-2 missile, in which “V”
is the initial letter in German word “Vergeltungswaffen”, and promoted Dornberger
to Major General and awarded Professor von Braun the title. At the same time, the
German Army began to build a V-2 missile launch site near Hague, Netherlands, and
develop mobile missile launch vehicles.
From 8 September 1944 when Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 missile to
London, England, to 27 March 1945, a total of 3745 V-2 missiles was launched, 1115
of which hit the British mainland, killing 2724 people and injuring 6476 people, and
causing huge damage to buildings. It fully demonstrated the strong power of the
V-2 missiles but did not save the defeat of the German army. The V-2 missiles are
143
hit accuracy of about 5%, which was never attained before. Dornberger required that
the new generation of rocket weapons should carry 1000 kg of explosives and have
a range of 250 km, which became the overall technical specifications for the design
of the A-4 rocket weapons. By further calculating and analyzing, it was shown that
the thrust of the A-4 rocket engine was required to reach 25,000 kgf, nearly 17 times
higher than the 1500 kgf thrust of the A-5 rocket, with the duration of 65 s, and
the accuracy of the radio telemetry and track system was required to far exceed the
technological level at that time. It needed systematically to study and solve a series
of the problems on basic theories and engineering techniques, mainly including three
aspects: firstly, to study aerodynamics, involving aerodynamic stability, supersonic
aerodynamics and aerodynamic heating; secondly, to study the guidance and control
system technology; thirdly, to develop the huge thrust rocket engines. Certainly,
under Dornberger’s strong leadership, the work was carried out with limited funds.
Von Braun was specifically responsible for the overall design of the A-4 rocket
project. In the entire process of studying, designing, testing and manufacturing the A4 rocket, there were many universities and research institutes in Germany undertaking
the related subsystem developments and experimental tasks. In October 1942, the
launch test of the A-4 rocket was successful, with an altitude of 85 km, a range of
190 km and a hit accuracy of 4 km. Apparently, the performance specifications of the
A-4 rocket was better than those of the Paris Gun. It is a milestone in the development
history of liquid rocket and aerospace technology. Both the superior officials from
the German military and the arms dealers came to watch the launch test of the A-4
rocket.
With the German army’s failures step by step in the battlefields, some superior
military officials began to place high hopes on the Army Force’s A-4 rocket weapons
and the Air Force’s V-1 cruise missiles. In the summer of 1943, Hitler assigned a
senior military mission to the Peenemünde Army Research Center to investigate
the launching demonstrations of A-4 rocket weapons and V-1 cruise missiles, of
which the range of A-4 rocket reached 260 km. After the military mission reported
its findings, Hitler summoned Dornberger and von Braun in person and said to
Dornberger: “I thank you. Why don’t I believe your work will succeed? I should
apologize to two men in my life, and only two men. Field Marshal Walter von
Brauchitsch, he has repeatedly reminded me of the importance of your research
work. Another is you, because I have never believed your work will succeed”. The
German authorities regarded the V-4 rockets as the strong weapons to recover the
defeat and specifically renamed it retribution 2, namely V-2 missile, in which “V”
is the initial letter in German word “Vergeltungswaffen”, and promoted Dornberger
to Major General and awarded Professor von Braun the title. At the same time, the
German Army began to build a V-2 missile launch site near Hague, Netherlands, and
develop mobile missile launch vehicles.
From 8 September 1944 when Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 missile to
London, England, to 27 March 1945, a total of 3745 V-2 missiles was launched, 1115
of which hit the British mainland, killing 2724 people and injuring 6476 people, and
causing huge damage to buildings. It fully demonstrated the strong power of the
V-2 missiles but did not save the defeat of the German army. The V-2 missiles are