Hermann Aubert (June 25, 1894 – December 28, 1989), a German rocket expert, the father of European rocketry, one of the founders of modern astronautics, and a pioneer of astronautics along with Tsiolkovsky and Goddard. His classic works on rocket propulsion are regarded by an entire generation of engineers as the "bible" in the field of astronautics.
Obert was born on 25 June 1894 in Hermannstadt, a place that then belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later to Romania due to a change of borders. At the age of 12, he became fascinated by interstellar travel under the influence of Verne's book From the Earth to the Moon. In 1913, Aubert went to Munich to study medicine. During World War I, Aubert interrupted his studies when he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army as a soldier. But he focused on the fundamental theoretical research of astronautics. He read everything he could find about rockets and cosmonautics, including Tsiolkovsky's.
In 1922, Aubert was acutely aware that the birth of a space vehicle was no longer an unattainable dream, but an imminent reality. He firmly believes that only rockets can soar in the infinite universe, and that humans are fully capable of exploring the mysteries of the universe in this magical vehicle. So, he compiled the results of his research for many years into an article**, a rocket flying to interstellar space, which was shared with the world in early 1923.
In this article, Aubert makes four compelling arguments. First of all, with the state of science at the time, it was entirely feasible to build a machine that could fly beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Second, with a few improvements, the machine can break through the sky at an astonishing speed, never to return, and even break free from the gravitational pull of the Earth. Again, this machine can carry humans without posing any threat to their lives. Finally, in the coming decades, it will be possible to make such a machine.
In Aubert, he delves into many key issues, including the fundamentals of rocket motion, the specific conception of high-altitude rockets, and the blueprint for a theoretical spaceship. His thinking is deep and original, and it is breathtaking.
Rockets to Interstellar Space was revised and fleshed out, and in 1929 it was renamed The Road to Space. It was a fairly comprehensive book on rockets and space flight, which caused a great deal of repercussions in Germany after its publication. In 1927, a group of German rocket and space flight enthusiasts spontaneously established the "German Interstellar Navigation Association", with Obert as its president. This association has established its purpose "for the benefit of mankind". They tested crude liquid rockets at the rocket launch test site on the outskirts of Berlin.
In the fall of 1928, when the production company of the science fiction film "Moon Girl" extended an invitation to Aubert and others to build rockets, they began a unique scientific exploration. They carefully designed and built a 1An 8-meter-long rocket and a manned spacecraft seem to challenge the unknown universe. Although the rocket was unsuccessfully launched at the screening due to the lack of charcoal fuel at a uniform combustion rate, this did not stop them from continuing their exploration. This experience allowed them to accumulate valuable experience in developing rockets, which laid the foundation for future space exploration.
When recalling this past, Braun said affectionately: "Aubert has always maintained a high level of enthusiasm and focus in the research and application of rockets. Not only did he promote and write about rockets and space flights, but he also encouraged others to devote themselves to this great cause. His wisdom and enthusiasm have undoubtedly played an important role in promoting the development of mankind in the field of aerospace. ”
On February 23, 1930, Aubert, with the assistance of some young rocket volunteers from the Navigation Association, designed and developed a rocket for ground testing, consuming 6 kilograms of liquid oxygen and one kilogram of gasoline in 90 seconds, producing 686 Ox of thrust, but not enough for the rocket to fly. On March 14, 1931, under the leadership of Aubert, the Micro No. 1 rocket developed by the German Navigation Association was launched for a test with a range of 200 meters, realizing the flight of the first liquid rocket in Europe.
From 1933 onwards, Aubert assisted his student von Braun in the development of the A1 liquid rocket, and by 1940 he had succeeded in developing the A4 rocket. Nazi Germany, due to the needs of the war, decided to convert the A4 rocket into a V2 missile. The rocket has a total length of 14 meters, a total weight of 13 tons, and a conical warhead containing one ton of explosives on top, with a flight altitude of 189 kilometers and a maximum range of 320 kilometers. On June 30, 1942, the first V-2 missile failed in its first launch, and the third V2 missile launch was successful on October 3 of the same year. Subsequently, Nazi Germany threw a large number of V-2 missiles into the war, slaughtering peaceful residents in Europe, but the V-2 missiles did not change the fate of the destruction of German fascism.
In May 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered, and Obert was imprisoned by the United States for three months, and in August of the same year he was released and returned to his hometown to work as a governess. In 1955, at Braun's invitation, Aubert went to the United States to assist Braun in rocket development and served as a consultant for the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal. Between 1955 and 1958 he wrote two books, one on the possibility of rocket development within a decade, and the other on the possibility of a human landing on the moon. In 1958, Aubert witnessed the launch of America's first artificial satellite into space by a carrier rocket developed under Braun's auspices, fulfilling his long-cherished wish to fly to the stars in his early years. In the same year, Aubert retired to Germany and was elected honorary president of the Federal Society for Space Research of Germany, but spent most of his time thinking about philosophical questions.
Obert did not die until he was 95 years old, and he was the only person in the "Three Musketeers of Modern Astronautics" who witnessed the complete development of the development from the launch of the first launch vehicle to the launch of satellites to the manned landing on the moon and the space shuttle and space station.