This is Space Journey 101 and today we will look at the first artificial object in space.
During the late 1920s and early 1930s Germans were fascinated by the idea of space travel and for good reasons See Von Braun’s little experiment with fireworks happened one year after Hermann Oberth wrote “The Rocket into Interplanetary Space” which is widely credited for igniting the imagination of many future rocket enthusiasts in Germany and abroad.
“Their space rockets were developed from futuristic fantasy and military reality.
This one was used to attack both London and Antwerp “It’s performed beyond my wildest dreams! The wagon careened crazily about trailing a trail of fire like a comet”
This is how Von Braun reflects on his first ballistics experiments in which he attached of the biggest fireworks he could acquire to a small coastal wagon in an effort to see how fast he could make it move.
He was just a 12-year-old boy the young boy would grow up to be a rather controversial rocketeer who engineered marvels of destruction for some very bad people and one of these deadly inventions would carry humanity into space.
In October 1929 Fritz Lang’s movie Woman in the Moon presented the basics of rockets travel on screen for the first time.
These events fueled Von Braun’s own fascination with rocketry space travel and engineering.
On November 1st, 1932 Wernher von Braun accepted the invitation of the German military to take charge of a newly created missile development lab of the German army, and soon after the Nazis grabbed power in Germany Von Braun’s team would accept another proposal from the German army to develop a long-range ballistic missile.
During 1933 they attempted to build the first complete rocket after months of experimentation with rocket engines attached to a static test bench in Kummersdorf In order to maintain military secrecy the rocket was dubbed Aggregat-1, or A-1 for short
The A-1 is the forefather of the majority of modern rockets.
The rocket measured 12 in (30.5 centimeters) in diameter and weighed 331 lb (150 kilograms) at takeoff.
Its engine used a pressure-fed rocket propellant system that burned ethanol and liquid oxygen to produce 2.9 kN (660 lbs) of thrust for 16 seconds.
Although the engine had been successfully test-fired the first flight attempt blew up on the launching pad within half a second after ignition.
Von Braun’s team immediately began a redesign, Static tests and assembly were completed by October 1, 1934, and things were built for a full-scale test.
They flew at altitudes of 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers) and 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers)
Following the achievements of the first two aggregate series Rockets, the team began planning a much larger rocket in the summer of 1936.
It was based on a 55,000 lb (25,000 kg) thrust engine and was expected to meet specified military requirements.
The V2, also known as the Aggregate four or A4 was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile.
It grew out of several previous projects conducted in Kummersdorf and later in Peenemünde including the A-3 experimental rocket which had an estimated range of 50 kilometers
The four key technologies for the V-2 were liquid fuel rocket engines supersonic aerodynamics gyroscopic guidance and rudders in jet control.
On Oct. 3, 1942, it made a largely successful flight to an altitude of 52 miles (85 kilometers).
It had a maximum speed of a maximum range of and a maximum altitude of almost 60 miles (96 km) on long-range trajectory on long-range trajectory and 128 miles (206 km) if launched vertically
Despite its minimal effect on the outcome of the war, the V2 is regarded as a revolutionary breakthrough in rocket technology.
On June 20, 1944, a V-2 reached an altitude of 109 miles (175 km) making it the first artificial object to enter space The Space Age was finally on the horizon
Stay tuned! See more