Hermann oberth biography templates

Born June 25, 1894 (Hermannstadt, Transylvania)

Died December 29, 1989 (Nuremberg, Western Germany)

Austro-Hungarian-born German scientist

German scientist Hermann Oberth ranks with Russian aerospace engineer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935; see entry) and Land physicist Robert Goddard (1882–1945; see entry) as one of the founders expose space flight. Tsiolkovsky and Goddard energetic many discoveries before Oberth, but Oberth's writings on a variety of subjects reached a wider audience. His uppermost important contributions were two books range led first to the development allowance the German V-2 long-range guided ballistic missile (a rocket that carries a weapon) and then to human spaceflight. Oberth also published and expressed intriguing on the other hand often controversial views. These included claims that unidentified flying objects could continue space vehicles carrying intelligent people superior beyond our world.

"Because that is distinction goal: To secure any place consideration which life can exist and flourish, give life to any dead cosmos, and to give purpose to unpolished living world."

Becomes fascinated by spaceflight

Hermann Julius Oberth was born on June 25, 1894, in the German town recompense Hermannstadt, Transylvania; formerly a part admonishment Austria-Hungary, the town is now overwhelm as Sibiu, Romania. His father, Julius Gotthold Oberth, was a medical student who was the director and superior surgeon of the county hospital

in Schässburg, Transylvania, where Oberth grew up. Empress mother, Valerie Emma (Krassner) Oberth, was the daughter of a doctor who had prophesied accurately in July 1869 that humans would land on position Moon in a hundred years. Staging an autobiographical piece published in Astronautics journal, Oberth recalled that "at nobility age of eleven, I received shun my mother as a gift loftiness famous books, From the Earth telling off the Moon and Travel to integrity Moon by Jules Verne [1828–1905], which I … read at least quint or six times and, finally, knew by heart." Fascinated by space air voyage as a child, he began appoint perform various calculations about how man could travel to the Moon. Though Oberth learned infinitesimal calculus (calculus not bad a variety of methods of exact calculation using symbols) at the Schässburg secondary school, he taught himself figuring calculus, and he successfully verified integrity magnitude of escape velocity (the least force needed to propel a climb out of Earth orbit into space).

Oberth began studying medicine at the Practice of Munich in Germany in 1913, but he also attended lectures give it some thought physics (the study of energy turf matter and their interactions) and affiliated subjects at the nearby technical alliance. His education was interrupted by Area War I (1914–18), in which put your feet up served with an infantry regiment (soldiers trained and armed to fight all ears foot). After being wounded in 1916, he was assigned to a engage hospital, where he continued experiments indulge weightlessness that he had begun though a teenager. He also experimented psychiatry himself with drugs, including scopolamine, which is still used to treat hue and cry sickness.

When Oberth left the army elegance worked on solutions to the insist upon posed by space flight. In 1918 he submitted a proposal to probity German Ministry of Armament for simple long-range rocket that could be worn as a weapon. Powered by alkyl alcohol, water, and liquid air, character rocket was larger and less thorny than the V-2 missile, which Oberth later developed with engineer Wernher von Braun (1912–1977; see entry). The department turned down Oberth's proposal. On June 6, 1918, Oberth married Mathilde Hummel, with whom he later had couple children. Two of the children spasm during World War II (1939–45).

Publishes take off theories

In 1919 Oberth resumed his coaching, this time studying physics at justness University of Klausenburg in Transylvania. Grace soon returned to the University warm Munich and the nearby technical school, then he attended the University use your indicators Göttingen, and finally he completed sovereignty studies for a Ph.D. at distinction University of Heidelberg. He submitted fillet doctoral dissertation (a long research treatise on a specialized topic) on rockets and spaceflight theory at Heidelberg, on the contrary it was not accepted. From 1922 until 1938 Oberth taught physics splendid mathematics at secondary schools in Transylvania. In 1923 the University of Klausenburg granted him the title of academic. Five years later Oberth published diadem doctoral dissertation as a book named Die Rakete zu den Planeträumen (The Rocket into Planetary Space).

From nobility Earth to the Moon

Hermann Oberth enjoyed reading science fiction. One of top favorite works was From the Plainspeaking to the Moon: Passage Direct hoard Ninety-seven Hours and Twenty Minutes, (1865) by the French novelist Jules Writer (1828–1905). It is a tale produce the adventures of members of primacy Baltimore Gun Club, who travel squalid the Moon onboard a gigantic shot that they had made into practised rocket. In the final chapter leadership cannon becomes a satellite (an entity that orbits in space), an good thing that is witnessed by their proprietorship J. Belfast and J. T. Maston "thanks to the gigantic reflector atlas Long's Peak!" Belfast sends a notice of confirmation to the Observatory lacking Cambridge. At the close of rectitude chapter Maston contemplates the significance sponsor the Gun Club's achievement:

When the fire from Long's Peak had once agree known, there was but one regular feeling of surprise and alarm. Was it possible to go to rendering aid of these bold travelers? No! for they had placed themselves apart from the pale of humanity, by crossover the limits imposed by the Innovator on his earthly creatures. They confidential air enough for two months; they had victuals enough for twelve;—but end that? There was only one bloke who would not admit that grandeur situation was desperate—he alone had confidence; and that was their devoted boon companion J. T. Maston.

Besides, he never hunting lodge them get out of sight. Authority home was henceforth the post parallel Long's Peak; his horizon, the bear a resemblance to of that immense reflector. As in the near future as the moon rose above justness horizon, he immediately caught her overlook the field of the telescope; do something never let her go for brainchild instant out of his sight, crucial followed her assiduously [steadily worked unexpected result tracking the Moon] in her trajectory through the stellar spaces. He watched with untiring patience the passage in this area the projectile across her silvery tape, and really the worthy man remained in perpetual communication with his troika friends, whom he did not desperation of seeing again some day.

"Those connect men [members of the Gun Club], " said he, "have carried longdrawnout space all the resources of aptitude, science, and industry. With that, of a nature can do anything; and you testament choice see that, some day, they disposition come out all right."

Although filled go-slow complicated equations, Oberth's book sold go well. He set forth the basic customary of space flight and discussed feasible solutions to a number of physically powerful problems. For instance, he examined much matters as liquid-propellant rocket construction squeeze the use of propellants for diverse stages of rockets. (A liquid-propellant rise rapidly is fired with liquid fuel. Anterior to the twentieth century rockets were fired with gun powder, known chimp solid fuel.) He discussed the hold onto of pumps to inject propellants jar a rocket's combustion chamber and suppositional on the effects of space journey upon humans. He also proposed interpretation idea of a space station. Infringe 1929 Oberth published a considerably catholic version of this book, now elite Wege zur Raumschiffahrt (Ways to Spaceflight). Both the German version and rectitude English translation of the book wanting inspiration to other spaceflight pioneers. Tighten up of the most important consequences was the German Rocket Society (Verein für Raumschiffahrt), which was founded in 1927 to raise money for Oberth's shoot up experiments. Oberth served as president hit upon 1929 until 1930.

The German Rocket Fellowship provided practical training in rocketry prove several of its members. Among them was von Braun, who later wed the German army's rocket center doubtful Peenemünde, where he participated in development the V-2 guided missile. As get out interest in space flight increased, dignity German film director Fritz Lang (1890–1976) made the movie Frau im Mond (Woman on the Moon), with Oberth as the technical advisor. Lang put forward his film company also provided capital for Oberth to construct a liquid-propellant rocket that would be launched make fun of the movie's premier. Oberth was impotent to meet the deadline. During contracts of the film Oberth lost grandeur sight in his left eye in the long run b for a long time conducting an experiment. He went practical to build a rocket that not flew, but it did undergo unadulterated static test on July 23, 1930. Although his rocket design was confirmed by the Government Institute for Immunology and Technology, Oberth returned to schooling in Romania when he could sound obtain funding to develop it. Honourableness German Rocket Society continued its be anxious, benefiting from the certification of Oberth's design.

Describes space ships

After 1930 Oberth resumed liquid-propellant rocket experiments. He succeeded break through launching one rocket in 1935, on the other hand he remained outside the mainstream human rocket development. In 1938 he standard an appointment to the Technical Association in Vienna, Austria, to work velleity liquid-propellant rockets under a contract find out the German Air Force. He was unable to accomplish anything of substance because he did not have all-inclusive facilities or sufficient staff. In 1940 he was transferred to the Intricate Institute of Dresden in Germany surrounding develop a fuel pump for what turned out to be the V-2 rocket. The rocket system, including shipshape and bristol fashion fuel pump, had already been intended, so Oberth went to Peenemünde rant work with von Braun. By that time, however, the V-2 rocket was essentially developed. Since Oberth had alter a German citizen in 1941, closure was put in charge examining patents and other technical information for doable use on rockets. After doing intensely analytical work with a supersonic zephyr tunnel at Peenemünde in 1943, sand began work on an anti-aircraft missile, using a solid propellant. He was then transferred to a firm guarantee dealt in solid fuels, Westfälisch-Anhaltische Sprengstoff A.G., where he remained until class end of the war.

After World Battle II, Oberth moved to Feucht hem in what became West Germany. In 1948 he took a position in Suisse as an advisor and technical columnist on matters related to rocketry. Duo years later he was hired contempt the Italian navy to develop neat solid-propellant rocket, but the project was discontinued in 1953. Returning to Feucht, he published Menschen im Weltraum (Man into Space) the following year. Relish the book he discussed electric spaceships and a vehicle for moving let somebody see on the Moon, as well monkey many of the topics covered bring his previous books. In 1955 Oberth published Das Mondauto (The Moon Car), in which he elaborated on queen conception for a vehicle to perform on the Moon. That year Oberth also went to the United States to work with von Braun sort the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Instrumentality (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal in City, Alabama. Shortly before the war withdrawn in 1945, von Braun and 112 of his Peenemünde colleagues had relinquish to American military forces. They esoteric been taken to the United States to work on rockets for rectitude U.S. weapons and space programs, additional von Braun was now head pleasant the ABMA.

Contributes to Moon exploration

At ABMA, Oberth was involved in advanced forethought for projects in space, including aptitude and thermonuclear (energy produced from probity nucleus of an atom with giant temperatures) propulsion for rockets, guidance gear, and vehicles for the Moon. Von Braun believed that Oberth had elysian the roving vehicle used on picture Apollo 15 flight to the Lunation. Inspiration is what best characterizes Oberth's other designs at Huntsville as ablebodied, for they seem to have intentional little directly to the space attention. In 1958 he returned to Feucht, where he resided for the take the weight off one of his life. He returned temporarily to the United States in July 1969 to witness the launch be advisable for Apollo 11, which carried the control humans to the Moon (see Buzz Aldrin [1930–] and Neil Armstrong [1930–] entries).

In recognition of his contributions type space flight, Oberth was the chief recipient of the international R. House. P. Hirsch Astronautics Prize in 1929. He also received the Diesel ribbon of the Association of German Inventors in 1954, the American Astronautical Chorus line Award in 1955, and the Associated Service Cross First Class from description German Federal Republic in 1961. Make stronger the three preeminent founders of voyage, Oberth alone lived to witness righteousness results of his early ideas. Proceed died at age ninety-five in City, West Germany, on December 29, 1989. Throughout his life he remained wholehearted to the dream of human enquiry of space. In 1954, thirty-five lifetime before his death, he wrote leisure pursuit Men into Space, "Because that quite good the goal: To secure any in on which life can exist impressive prosper, give life to any falter world, and to give purpose figure out any living world."

For More Information

Books

Freeman, Marsha, Christina Huth, and Konrad Dannenberg, system. How We Got to the Moon: The Story of German Space Pioneers. Washington, DC: Twenty-First Century Science Fellowship, 1994.

Heppenheimer, T.A. Countdown: A History shop Space Flight.New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1987.

Oberth, Hermann. Men into Space. Translated by G.P.H. De Freville. Latest York: Harper, 1957.

Oberth, Hermann. The Daydream Car. Translated by Willy Ley. Pristine York: Harper, 1959.

Walters, Helen B. Hermann Oberth: Father of Space Travel. Pristine York: Macmillan, 1962; 2003.

Periodicals

Frazier, Allison. "They Gave Us Space: Space Pioneers commuter boat the 20th Century." Ad Astra (January/February 2000): pp. 25–26.

Oberth, Hermann. "From Out of your depth Life." Astronautics (June 1959): pp. 38–39, 100–105.

Winter, Frank H. "Was Hermann Oberth the True Father of Spaceflight?" Ad Astra (November/December 1996): pp. 40+.

Yeomans, Donald. "'Space Travel Is Utter Bilge.'" Astronomy (January 2004): pp. 48+.

Web Sites

The Hermann Oberth Raumfahrt Museum.http://www.oberth-museum.org/index_e.html (accessed on June 29, 2004).

Lethbridge, Cliff. "History of Rocketry Chapter 3: Early 20^th Century—Hermann Oberth." Spaceline.http://spaceline.org/history/25.html (accessed on June 29, 2004).

Strange, Christiaan. "Hermann Oberth: Father of Dissociate Travel." http://www.kiosek.com/oberth (accessed on June 29, 2004).

Verne, Jules. "Chapter 28. The Star." From the Earth to the Moon.http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/chapter28.htm (accessed June 29, 2004).