German Rocket Society - Verein für Raumschiffahrt by Frank H. Winter - Part 2

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The following paper is ©2015 Frank H. Winter.

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Contents

Highlights Of Issues Of The First Year Of Die Rakete, 1927 (continued)

August 15th 1927

The second issue of Die Rakete of 15 August featured another front cover by von Römer (a rocket-propelled “stratospheric” airplane heading towards space). This issue ran, besides another part of Valier's story, a couple of his non-fiction articles, one on world altitude aircraft records; the other is titled, “Einwände gegen die Möglichkeit der Weltraumfahrt” (“Objections to the Possibility of Space Travel.”) This piece is interesting especially from the historical perspective since it addresses the then, often sharp criticisms from the scientific community, the press, and the general public, that spaceflight was simply not possible at all. For one, many thought the notion of spaceflight was pure “fantasy” of the sort found in Jules Verne novels. Valier noted that Tsiolkovsky (whose name was then starting to become introduced into the West), Goddard, and Oberth faced the same sort of opposition to their own ideas.

(At the time, one of most recurring “technical” criticisms was that it was believed - incorrectly - that the rocket needed air to “push against” in order to move; thus, the rocket was incapable of flight in the vacuum of space. It took several more years before Newton's classic Third Law of Motion - “For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction” - that explains rocket motion, became more widely accepted.)[1].

The second issue also saw Valier advertise the latest edition of his book, Der Vorstoss in den Weltraum and Winkler included in his “Book Reviews” section, a couple of new titles to the still small but growing literature of spaceflight: Die Fahrt ins All (The Journey into Space) and Mars der Kriegsplanet (Mars the Planet of War), both by Willy Ley, the first time his name appears in Die Rakete. From here, on, Ley's name became increasingly more prominent to the readership of Die Rakete.[2].

In addition, there is the article “Der Triebstoff” (“The <Rocket> Motor Fuel”), probably authored by Winkler, especially since one of the fuels recommended is liquid methane that he had favored in 1926 and he eventually used it in his own rockets. Other items in this second issue are: a short biographical sketch of Valier, with his portrait; a “Replies” section (this one with a criticism from a Dr. J. Weber of Leipzig on a mathematical point in an earlier article; a continuation of “Nomographic Tables for Space Travel” carried in the first issue (concerning hypothetical velocities of space rockets, probably also written by Winkler); and a section called “Quittungen” (“Receipts,” i.e. “Donations” to the VfR). Winkler himself set an example, by contributing 30 RM.

The “Quittungen” feature, that continued throughout the three-year run of Die Rakete, is most useful in tracing the names of key supporters of the VfR during its early years as well as helping document how widespread geographically the journal had become known and received. Moreover, it encouraged further donations and thus contributed to the growth of the Society. (One important and consistent early donor, for example, was Hugo Hückel, the then wealthy manufacturer of men's hats who afterward became Winkler's financial supporter of his early rocket work. As for the spread of Die Rakete, out-of-country donations were received from as far away as Guam; Surabaya, East Java (now in Indonesia); Monte Video, Uruguay, Latin America; Africa; Kobe, Japan; besides other cities in Europe like Vienna, Paris, Leningrad, Prague, Madrid, Copenhagen, Trieste, Bratislava; Zurich, Basel, and Constanz, also in Switzerland, not to mention many cities throughout Germany. In all cases, it is true the donors almost invariably have German names; nonetheless, it is equally valid to observe that spaceflight ideas were circulated via Die Rakete to other regions of the globe. Some of the donor names were also among the most prominent in what we may call the international spaceflight movement at the time - like Oberth, Hohmann, von Hoefft, and Esnault-Pelterie, as well as Perelman and Rynin from the USSR.)

In addition, Winkler offered “premiums,” or incentives, to those who enlisted new members. As announced on the back of this issue, those who enlisted three new members received an autographed photo of Valier; those who gathered five new members received autographed books by both Valier and Ley, and so on.[3].

In the same month (August 1927), Prof. Oberth joined the VfR. But Valier was compelled to write to him on the 20th: “Dear Professor, It is a pleasure for me to hear via Breslau (i.e. Winkler) that you have accepted our invitation to join the newly founded Society for Spaceflight, but I would find it unworthy of your merits if you were to appear only as a simple member. For this reason I have, today, informed those in Breslau...of your being elected to the Executive Board (Board of Directors).” He added: “I would also welcome your being represented in Die Rakete with an article in the near future, for I am afraid to say that the last two issues were written almost exclusively by Mr. Winkler and me.”[4].

Winkler and the others welcomed Prof. Oberth as a member of the Board; the same honor and privilege were soon accorded to von Hoefft and Hohmann “among others.” Oberth shortly did submit articles to Die Rakete.[5].

September 15th 1927

The 15 September issue featured, on its cover, perhaps the world's earliest depiction of an electric-propelled spacecraft. Moreover, it is a multi-manned spacecraft. This remarkable concept, along with an article explaining the design and principle, was contributed by Franz Abdon von Ulinski, although written up (simplified) by Valier accompanied by a brief biographical sketch on Ulinski, with his portrait. Valier merely added that this was a “review” of Ulinski's projects but “without his (Valier's) taking a position on them.”[6].

Born in 1890 in Blosdorf, Moravia (today Mljadejov, Czech Republic), Ulinski is described as an “Austrian patent attorney engineer” who had arrived at the concept (actually, several concepts using the force of ejected electrons) after working on “the problem” of interplanetary travel “since about 25 years now” (i.e. since about 1902). If this is true, he may be credited as perhaps the first in the world to think of electric-propulsion for spaceflight since the American Goddard first considered this concept on 6 September 1906, according to his carefully dated early notebooks of his ideas in general about possible means of spaceflight.

Detail of “Electron” spaceship of Franz Abdon Ulinski, originally published on cover of Die Rakete for 15 September 1927.
Detail of “Electron” spaceship of Franz Abdon Ulinski, originally published on cover of Die Rakete for 15 September 1927.

Nonetheless, it has since been found that there are serious technical errors in Ulinski's basic principle. The main ones are: (1), he believed the reactive force would take place entirely within the spacecraft's nozzle and it would be possible to recycle the expelled gases; and (2), the photovoltaic (solar cell) apparatus to capture solar energy and convert it to electricity that was part of his design was not yet invented. Even so, Ulinski sent a model of one of his designs to the USSR for exhibit at the “First World Exhibition of Interplanetary Machines and Mechanisms” held in Moscow that year.[7]

At the very least, Die Rakete at this juncture began to become a published forum of all kinds of ideas regarding the possibilities of spaceflight. Additional articles in this issue include “Flight in Empty Space”; a continuation of the “Nomographic Tables” (more of these are found in later issues); Valier's story (likewise continued in later issues); another poem on spaceflight; and, a concept of “recoil braking,” or safe landing of a rocket apparatus on another body in space (i.e. the Moon or planet) without an atmosphere.[8]

October 15th 1927

In the 15 October 1927 issue is a short item about “Membership” that mentions that 20% of the members were then engineers. The VfR was therefore by far, not a technical group as yet. On the other hand, some like Oberth and Winkler, were neither trained nor practicing engineers and yet they possessed remarkable mathematical abilities that also encompassed a deep knowledge of physics. These became manifested in their own considerable contributions to the new field that in the following year became coined as “astronautics” - defined as the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere and hence, the science and technology of spaceflight.

Winkler saw fit to add to the “Membership” notice a plan of awarding prizes from 1,000 to 2,000 RM as a further incentive to enlist new members “after the number of membership has reached 10,000” (i.e. Winkler assumed there would be sufficient funds on hand for such prizes once the membership was raised to this optimistic number.) One of these high prizes was to be awarded by drawing a lot. Such ambitious plans were never carried out, however; nor did the membership reach that level. Also included was a brief sketch on Oberth with a drawing of his portrait.[9]

November 15th 1927

The issue of 15 November, with a cover photographic portrait of von Hoefft and biographical sketch on the next page, also ran “Notice” reporting that Hohmann and Oberth were named to the VfR Board of Directors. Also featured was the first part of Oberth's Die Rakete articles, “Is Spaceflight Possible?” which is replete with mathematical formulae. So too, was another, yet more ambitious plan by Winkler to increase the membership - with prizes now up to 5,000 RM for enlisting new members.[10]

December 15th 1927

The final, 15 December issue for 1927 carries a photo of the machine shop building of the Technische Hochshule (or Technical Institute, or TH) of Breslau “in which currently takes place important experiments in space travel in the private sector,” reads the caption. Winkler did not go into details within the journal. Nevertheless, this was a turning point as the experiments were his own and involved producing hardware and preparing equipment for private experiments with solid-propellant rockets. Like Goddard, Winkler's uppermost goals were to work towards developing a means of achieving spaceflight but he felt it more practical to start his researches with basic solid-propellants, and then to proceed from there.

But Winkler was also well aware of another question that needed to be addressed, expressed in his article, “What is the Cost of Spaceflight?” (This was probably the first time this question was asked - at least openly.) Without going into details, it is enough to say he discussed a trip to the Moon, calculating for both solid-propellant (“firework rockets”) and liquid-propellant arrangements and came up with figures in the millions of Reichmarks.

Further on in this issue is a biographical sketch of Hohmann, with portrait, and a piece on a new “sport” for youth that was now upon the scene, model rocket planes (actually, model rocket gliders). In this case, the models were made by the Breslauer Modell- und Segelflugverein Schlesisher Adler E.V. Breslau (Breslau Model and Sail Flight Society Selesian Eagle Registered Society, Breslau).[11].

Highlights Of Issues Of The Second Year Of Die Rakete, 1928

January 15th 1928

The front cover of the opening issue for the 1928 Die Rakete depicted Winkler in the “Machine Laboratory” of the TH, Breslau besides a “pressure (i.e. thrust) diagram” while inside the journal is his article (although without the authorship given) on thrust measurements with simple firework rockets; again, this activity is precisely the path Goddard first took (probably unknown to Winkler) in his lifelong rocketry career. A typical thrust was almost five kg (2.2 lb.) for only 0.35 sec.

Winkler's first rocket experiments, cover of Die Rakete for 15 January 1928.
Winkler's first rocket experiments, cover of Die Rakete for 15 January 1928.

Winkler also anonymously authored the first of a series of technical articles, including extensive mathematics, titled “Introduction to the Spaceflight Problem” that was continued in several other issues. Considering these, as well as related treatments, like his series “Nomographic Tables for Spaceflight,” and other articles in Die Rakete that may likewise be attributed to him, Winkler is not given enough credit for contributing towards helping to build a scientific basis for the then, theory of spaceflight. Valier contributed his piece at this time, “Medicine and Spaceflight,” the first of a two part coverage. Very likely, this article was the first on another very important aspect of spaceflight.

Winkler likewise deserves credit for his role in helping to introduce to the West, the great Russian theoretician on spaceflight, Konstantin Eduardovitch Tsiolkovsky (known in German as Ziolkowski). Winkler saw fit to include the Russian's portrait in the January issue and captioned it, “Professor Ziolkowski the long-time champion of the spaceflight idea in Russia,” and provided more details on his work in a later issue. (The latter, May 1928 issue, featured a longer write-up in the “Book Notices” section on the first of the encyclopedic volumes on spaceflight by the Russian Nikolai A. Rynin, while the Russian popularizer of spaceflight, Yakov Perelman was covered later. Thus, Die Rakete was one of the first journals to introduce Russian works on spaceflight in general to the West.)[12].

March 15th 1928

Other highlights in Die Rakete for 1928 are, the first of a twelve-part series by the Austrian pioneer of astronautics, Dr. Franz von Hoefft, “Conquest of Space,” starting in the 15 March issue. This part was originally delivered as a lecture by von Hoefft before the “V. Deutschösterreichischer Ing.” (The Society of German Austrian Engineers) on 9 February 1928. In this series, he introduced his concept of the gradual evolution of the basic rocket towards successively more powerful, larger, and complex vehicles that encompassed a staged, winged and lifting body spacecraft capable of manned, return missions to the Moon and planets. (In effect, Von Hoefft proposed amongst the earliest concepts of lifting body and reusable spacecraft.)

This plan entailed designs of eight models of vehicles, designated the RH-I to VIII (for Rakete-Hoefft I to VIII). The RH-I was a liquid oxygen/alcohol sounding rocket carrying recording instruments to take pressure and other measurements of the upper atmosphere after being launched from a high-altitude balloon whereas the RH-III was a two-stage vehicle, and so on, until the staged RH-V to RH-VIII models designed for flights into space. Interestingly, the upper stage of his RH IV was also designed to deliver mail to “any point on the globe along a Keplerian ellipse (orbit) in about one hour.” (In those earliest years of rocketry and spaceflight ideas, the “mail rocket” seemed a logical and highly practical application of the rocket. On the other hand, one of his most advanced proposals was to use a space station to build his RH-VIII in order to avoid launching such a large vehicle from the surface of the Earth.)

In the same month as von Hoefft's first article, there appeared a biographical sketch, with photo, of Otto Willi Gail, another highly popular German science fiction author, plus a sample chapter of his work, originally published as a book in 1925, Der Schuß ins All (The Shot into Space). It vividly described the construction and runway launch of a huge three-stage manned rocket spaceship, with folding wings so it could be safely returned to Earth; moreover, the first two stages were fueled with alcohol and liquid oxygen - derived from Oberth's 1923 book, Die Rakete - while the third stage was fueled with the higher impulse liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, also suggested by Oberth. (Gail's works, like the other fictional works mentioned earlier, also greatly influenced the members of the VfR and later played a role in the development of early American science fiction interplanetary literature.) Gail was also grateful for help (technical advice concerning rocket flight into space) he had received from both Valier (whom he had befriended) and Winkler. He even included mention of the VfR in his latest, although non-fictional work, Mit raketenkraft ins weltenall - vom feuerwagen zum raumschiff (With a Rocketcraft into Space - From Firewagen (i.e. Valier's rocket cars) to Spaceship), published this year (1928), with a foreword by Valier. [13].

April 15th 1928

However, a questionable turning point for the VfR - and the spaceflight movement - emerged with the cover of the 15 April 1928 issue of Die Rakete that featured a photograph of a telegram dated 11 April of that year, sent by Valier to Winkler briefly informing him of the “successful test drive” of an experimental rocket car made on the Opel automobile racetrack at Rüsselsheim (in the Rhein-Main region of Germany). The experiment (the building of the car) had been financed by the automobile magnate of Germany, Fritz von Opel, while the “idea,” said the telegram, had been Valier's; “engineer” (Friedrich) Sander had furnished the rockets while “engineer” (actually, racecar driver) Kurt Volkhart was the driver. At this time, probably because the results were not as spectacular as were anticipated and these were only the preliminary tests, Valier instructed Winkler to forbid any publication of the event in the daily newspapers. The caption of the picture merely reads, “An important message.”

A short notice (probably by Winkler) on the following page provided more details and was unfortunately titled “The First Step to the Space Ship.” It is “unfortunate” from our modern perspective, since the rocket car was driven by multiple solid-propellant (gunpowder) rockets made by the pyrotechnical firm of Sander that normally made very short burning duration life-saving rockets and the like, and therefore the “rocket car” in no way contributed to the growth of rocket technology and certainly could not have contributed towards the development of a rocket capable of launches into space. (Tsiolkovsky, Oberth, Goddard, Esnault-Pelterie, von Hoefft, as we saw, and many other early theorists on spaceflight all agreed that the attainment of spaceflight would have only been possible with far higher impulse, long duration, and controllable liquid-propellants, not solids.)

Thus, the rocket car (and so-called “rocket airplanes that soon followed, also with very low-impulse, very short duration solid-propellant motors) turned out to more no more than “stunts” - and led nowhere, even if they did generate understandably considerable excitement and publicity in the newspaper tabloids and other media of the day. Put another way, technologically-speaking these rocket car, rocket airplane (and later rocket railroad and even rocket ice-sled) stunts - some by Valier - had no connection whatsoever to the true development of the rocket as eventually applied to spaceflight. This, of course, only applies to the solid-propellant, or gunpowder phase, of Valier's work in rocketry during this period, as well as to the gunpowder rocket "stunts" of others in the same period. Valier's gaseous rocket propellant experiments for his rocket cars, followed by liquid-propellants with liquid oxygen and alcohol was a wholly different --- and very important phase and certainly did influence later developments of rocket technology in Germany, although we do not go into those developments in this article since this phase of Valier's work was not connected to the history of the VfR. For more on on the phase on Valier's work, see the separate article on him.[14]

But by the same token, Winkler and Valier somewhat depreciated the value and aims of the VfR which soon faced its share of critics, even within the ranks of the Society, against this essentially non-scientific approach to “solving” the question of seeking a means of attaining spaceflight. Yet, Valier genuinely believed spaceflight could evolve by the gradual “evolution” of the rocket from its application in basic forms of transportation, to the rocket-propelled airplane, then a stratospheric rocket plane, and finally a spacecraft. It is also seen that this was a naive approach, however sincere his goals. (His arguments along these lines are also found in his works at the time, Der Vorstoß in den Weltraum (The Advance into Space) and throughout his frequent lectures.)

Winkler - and Goddard's - initial basic combustion tests with solid-propellant rockets was another matter entirely, and in fact their meager results proved to both experimenters that the solid-propellant rocket was simply far too feeble, of minimal duration, and lacking controllable burning vs. the still theoretical although mathematically proven and potentially far more powerful, long duration, and controllable (i.e. with pumps and check valves) liquid-propellant systems.

May 15th 1928

Nonetheless, Die Rakete for 15 May 1928 ran a picture on its cover titled “The Experimental rocket model (actually, an unmanned tailless rocket-propelled glider) in flight,” while inside was contained an “Official Notice” which announced that Sander had been named to the VfR's Board of Directors because of his role in providing the rocket motors for the rocket racing cars. (The rocket cars are usually credited to von Opel, although as both a sportsman and businessman he well appreciated the publicity impact of these feats, or rather “stunts.” At the same time, von Opel donated money to the VfR. ) Michael Graf Wolf Metternich, in his richly illustrated work, Deutsche Raketenfahrzeug auf Strasse, Schiene und Eis 1828 bis 1931 (German Rocket Vehicles on the Road, Rail, and Ice from 1928 to 1931), well documents these stunts that fittingly gave rise to the term “the rocket fad” of the 1920s-30s and shows they lasted up to at least 1931. Similar stunts took place overseas.

Details are given in this issue of the rocket car runs and rocket glider flights, as well as a fanciful drawing by von Roemer (sic., although this should have been rendered as (Hans) von Römer) of “the Rocket Car (Rak 2”) speeding down the Opel track at Rüsselsheim, with smoke billowing out behind it. Further in the same issue was published a short biographical sketch of Friedrich W. Sander, with his portrait.

As for the glider flights, initially there were unmanned airplane models flown to test the effectiveness of the rockets and stability of the aircraft, as depicted on the cover of Die Rakete; but later, on 11 June, the pilot Fritz (sometimes called Friedrich) Stamer briefly flew the tailless canard-type (tail surfaces ahead of the wings) glider Ente (Duck) from the Wasserkuppe slope of the Rhon Mountains, in Thüringen, southeast of Kassel, Germany; during several attempts he “successfully” flew under the power of Sander's solid-propellant rockets to a maximum distance of a little over three quarters of a mile (1.2 km). From this time, others (including some from other countries) undertook their own rocket flights although all similarly achieved extremely modest results that failed to advance either aviation or rocketry. [15].

Ironically, immediately following the drawing in Die Rakete for 15 May 1928 of the speeding rocket car, representing a wholly non-scientific approach to rocketry, there appeared the first of a monumental eight part series of articles, titled “(Space) Travel Routes” by the Austrian astronautics pioneer engineer Guido von Pirquet; the series was continued in subsequent issues of Die Rakete up to April 1929.

Von Pirquet, like his compatriot von Hoefft, was seriously devoted to the cause of spaceflight and his “Travel Routes” series was a carefully worked out mathematical examination of possible trajectories to various planets via rocket, that also used a hypothetical space station (or series of space stations) as deep space launch points to facilitate these operations and “routes.” Von Pirquet's biographer, Sykora, regards this series as his “...most important and ingenious work.”

In this respect, von Pirquet was one of the pioneers of the space station (and indeed, he has been called “the Father of the space station”) but not so much in its design; rather, he was the first to work out calculations for such stations and foresaw them as necessary and convenient “outposts” or way-stations in future deep spaceflight missions. (The routes were worked out assuming exhaust velocities for specific liquid propellants; in addition, he mathematically demonstrated the important point that for very large space vehicles, direct access to space would be extremely difficult. Therefore, he reasoned, the space station was the most practical approach — to serve as an in situ launch point.)

His later Die Rakete articles outlined a more complete system consisting of three space stations. The first was to be placed in a near-Earth orbit of 750 km (470 mi.). Its main purpose was for an Earth-observation station - primarily for observing Earth's weather. Due to its closeness to Earth, it was also termed an “Inner Station.” Each orbit for this station would take 100 minutes. The second station was to be situated in a much higher orbit of 5,000 km (3,100 miles) with an orbit time of 200 minutes. This station was to serve for orbital refueling as well as a launch platform for rockets into deeper space. It was thus also termed an “Outer Station.” The third station was to be placed in an elliptical orbit that intersected, or was linked to, the other two stations. Hence, its orbit ranged from 470 to 3,100 miles with an orbit time of 150 minutes. It was also termed a “Transit Station.”

Several of von Pirquet's main ideas had already been published in his chapter, “The Impossible Ways Towards Realization of Spaceflight” in Willy Ley's anthology Die Möglichkeit der Weltraumfahrt (The Possibility of Spaceflight), also published in 1928, but were expanded upon in more detail in the Die Rakete articles.

Notably his chapter in the Ley book was called “Impossible Ways...” because he first reviewed earlier methods to achieve spaceflight then he explained the technical flaws in these concepts and why they were “impossible.” These methods ranged from the fictional giant cannon suggested by Jules Verne in his famous novel From the Earth to the Moon (1865) to later ideas like the electromagnetic gun. Next, he proceed to outline his own systematic and logical although hypothetical program towards achieving spaceflight and expanded these alternative methods in the Die Rakete articles.

Von Pirquet's overall plan for space flight, he explained, could be accomplished though three successive steps: (1), development of a “Registering rocket” (i.e. a sounding rocket) that was also a research vehicle to work out basic propulsion problems besides gathering critically needed data about the upper atmosphere and near space; (2), development of a “Long-Distance Rocket; and finally, (3), the development of a true “Space Rocket.” Hence, von Pirquet's chapter in Ley's Die Möglichkeit had served as the basis for his more detailed and evolved concepts found in his Die Rakete articles. (Sykora pointed out, incidentally, that von Pirquet's route to the planet Venus was actually carried out by the USSR's Venera-1 when it was launched towards Venus on 12 February 1961---becoming the world's first spacecraft sent to Venus---although communications by Venera with Earth were lost and it probably only flew past Venus rather than landed upon it. Sykora also discusses the technical differences between the spaceflight trajectories worked out by von Pirquet and his contemporary Walter Hohmann.)

Hence, despite the often non-scientific and sometimes frivolous rocket or space-oriented material found in the VfR's Die Rakete, the journal served as an invaluable medium for serious and dedicated pioneers like von Pirquet and von Hoefft to elaborate upon their complex ideas and more widely disseminate them. In this respect, Die Rakete further served to document the evolution or progress of ideas in the new field of astronautics during this period.

Following von Pirquet's article was a preprint of the first chapter of Ley's anthology soon to be released, Die Möglichkeit der Weltraumfahrt (The Possibility of Space Travel) (1928), with contributions on aspects of spaceflight or rocketry by several important members of the VfR, including Ley himself, Oberth, von Hoefft, Hohmann, von Pirquet (as mentioned), Sander, and Dr. Karl Debus, a collector of the literature of spaceflight. In fact, the sample chapter is by Debus, “Spaceflight Poetical Works and Inhabitants (of other planets) - Fantasies since the Renaissance to our Times.”

It is interesting to note that in this same 15 May 1928 issue, in a small item titled “Events in Breslau,” is mentioned not only lectures on spaceflight by Winkler and Oberth, but a “radio broadcast on the topic by a Dipl. Ing. (Diploma Engineer) Beerman in Breslau. This may have been the earliest, or one of the earliest, uses of radio to spread ideas on spaceflight, at least in Europe.[16]

June 15th & July 15th 1928

An “Official Notice” in the 15 June 1928 issue of Die Rakete reported that Fritz von Opel had been made an honorary member of the VfR because of the “merits (of his work) towards spaceflight,” while the cover of the 15 July issue depicted a photo of “The first Manned Rocket Flight, the Sailplane 'Ente' at the Rhön-Rossitengesellchaft” (the site of the Rhön-Rossiten Sailplane, or glider Society). On the following page is a more detailed account of the “flight.” In this issue too, we see a biographical sketch, with photo, of Winkler himself although he appears to have been a very modest man by nature.

On the back page is a small advertisement by Feuerwerkei Benno Jakubowitz (the Benno Jakubowitz Firework Company) of Breslau for “rocket motors for model experiments (and) inexpensive supplies (of the same).” However, in the 15 October issue there began to appear a cautionary notice in its place: “Members! Take into account your purchases from those companies which promote the cause of rocket flight in any way!” The cause of this precaution must have been the rash of accidents during this time to youngsters (and others) while playing with model rockets, one of the consequences of the excitement generated in the press about the von Opel car experiments. This also shows it is not likely that there existed any laws in Germany prohibiting the mailing of rocket motors. (Wernher von Braun's own childhood experiment with a model rocket car during this time is mentioned below.) During the earliest years of the Space Age, during the late 1950s, there were similarly many reported accidents of youngsters experimenting with “amateur rocketry.”[17]

August 15th 1928

The 15 August 1928 issue ran the first of the important three-part article by the French aviation and astronautical pioneer, Robert Esnault-Pelterie titled, “Astronautics and Relativity Theory.” This appears to be the first usage of the term “astronautics” (or “astronautik,” in its German rendition) in Die Rakete, and certainly one of the first usages in Germany; the then, new word, had been created late in the previous year by the Belgian science fiction author J.J. Rosny, ainé (the elder), a pseudonym for Joseph-Henri-Honoré Boex. On 26 December 1927, Rosny, with his friend Esnault-Pelterie, the banker André-Louis-Hirsch, and others, adopted a plan for what became known as the REP-Hirsch Prize to be awarded in a given year for the greatest achievement towards spaceflight, but a word was needed to describe the subject of the prize - and Rosny came up with the term (although it is not quite accurate as it is derived from Latin roots, meaning “navigating the stars.”)

At any rate, the term was quickly adopted and also (incorrectly) also applied to space travelers, as “astronauts.”) The Russian counterpart terms, “cosmonautics” and “cosmonaut,” or “traveling in space” and “space traveler,” respectively, are more accurate.) In the same issue of Die Rakete is a biographical sketch and picture of Willy Ley, while in the following issue is found a similar biography and picture of von Pirquet. (Incidentally, von Pirquet was still continuing his “(Space) Travel Routes” series, but was now introducing his term “Außenstation,” or “Out Station” (i.e. an Outer Space Station) in his discussions.)[18] Continue to Part Three.

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Footnotes

  1. ^  Max Valier, “Die Fahrt ins All (-- Part 2),” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, pp. 102-105; Max Valier, “Im Kampf um den Höhen-Welrekord,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, pp. 105-107; Max Valier, “Einwände gegen die Möglichkeit der Weltraumfahrt, ” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, pp. 107-110.
  2. ^ (Johannes Winkler), “Bücherbesprechen,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, p. 111.
  3. ^ (Johannes Winkler), “Der Triebstoff,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, pp. 100-101; “Max Valier,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, p. 110; (Johannes Winkler), “Entgegnungen,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, p. 111; “Nomographische Takeln zur Raumschiffahrt,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, pp. 98-100; “Prämien für die Werbung von Mitgliedern,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1927, p. 112.
  4. ^ Essers, Max Valier, p. 138.
  5. ^ Essers, Max Valier, p. 170.
  6. ^ Max Valier (from notes by Franz von Ulinski), “Ein neues Ätherschiffprojekt - Die Elektronenrakete Ulinskis,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, pp. 125-127; “Franz Abdon Ulinski,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, p. 127.
  7. ^ Valier, “Eine neues,” p. 125; “Franz Abdon Ulinski,” p. 127; E.Y. Choueiri, “A Critical History of Electric Propulsion: The First 50 Years (1906-1956),” Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 20, March-April 2004, p. 195; Ron Miller, The Dream Machines - A Pictorial History of the Spaceship in Art, Science and Literature (Krieger Publishing Co.: Malabar, Florida, 1993), p. 150; Ley, Rockets, Missiles, p. 39. While we cannot state for certain whether Ulinski arrived at his electric-propelled spacecraft concept, or at least laid the foundations of it as early as 1902, there is no question he had evolved it over the years and the appearance of the concept in Die Rakete in 1927 was hardly the first time it had appeared in print. Notably, for instance, Ulinski's was treated at length, along with several sketches and detailed drawings of such a manned electric-propelled spacecraft (even capable of going to Venus) in his article “Das Problem der Weltraumfahrt” (“the Problem of Spaceflight”) in Der Flieg – Zeitschrift für das gesamte gebiet der Luftfahrt (Amtliche Mitteilungen des Österreichischen flug-technischen Vereines und seiner Zweigverien (Vienna), Sonder Nummer (Special Number) 1920, pp. 113-124. Thus, the coverage of his ideas in Die Rakete may have been, perhaps, the first time they were introduced directly to the newly emerged spaceflight and rocketry community, as it were.
  8. ^ Irma Gohl, (poem), “Weltraumschiff,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, p. 114;“Der Flug im leeren Raume, Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, pp. 114-118; “Nemographische Tafeln,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, pp. 118-119; “Raketenapparat mit Rückstossbremsung,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, pp. 120-121; Valier, “Die Fahrt ins All,” Die Rakete, 15 September 1927, pp. 121-124.
  9. ^ (Johannes Winkler), “Mitgliederwerbung,” Die Rakete, 15 October 1927, pp. 138-139; “Hermann Oberth,” Die Rakete, 15 October 1927, p. 139.
  10. ^ “Dr. Franz Oskar Leo Edler von Hoefft,” Die Rakete, 15 November 1927, p. 142; Prof. H. Oberth (sic.), “Ist die Weltraumfahrt möglich?,” Die Rakete, 15 November 1927, pp. 144-152; (Johannes Winkler), “5000 RM. Werbprämien,” Die Rakete, 15 November 1927, p. 155.
  11. ^ “Dr. Ing. Walter Hohmann, Essen,” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, p. 169; (Most likely, Johannes Winkler), “Was kostet das Weltraumschff(?),” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, pp. 170-171; “Aufstiege von Raketenmodellen,” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, p. 170.
  12. ^ (Johannes Winkler), Rückstoss-Diagramm,” Die Rakete, 15 January 1928, pp. 3-5; (Johannes Winkler), “Einführung in das Raumfahrtproblem,” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, pp. 5-5; Photo, “Professor Ziolkowski,” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, p. 12; M.Valier, “Medizin und Raumschaffahrt,” Die Rakete, 15 December 1927, pp. 13-15; “Bücherbesprechungen,” (Review of book by N.A. Rynin), Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, p. 79.
  13. ^ Dr. Franz von Hoefft, “Die Eroberung des Weltalls,” Die Rakete, 15 March 1928, pp. 36-42; Otto Willi Gail, “Provekapitel aus: DerSchuß ins All,” Die Rakete, 15 March 1928, pp. 34-36; Otto Willi Gail, Mit raketenkraft ins weltenall; vom feuerwagen zum raumschiff (K. Thienemann: Stuttgart, (ca. 1928)), p. 64.
  14. ^ Cover, Die Rakete, 15 April 1928; (Probably Johannes Winkler), “Der erste Schritt zum Weltraumshiff,” Die Rakete, 15 April 1928, p. 50; Ley, Rockets, Missiles, pp. 120-122; “Quittungen” (von Opel donation of 50 RM to VfR), Die Rakete, 15 April 1928, p. 64. For more on the rocket cars, rocket planes, and other rocket stunts in Germany at this time, consult, Frank H. Winter, "1928- 1929 Forerunners of the Shuttle: The von Opel Flights,” Spaceflight, Vol. 21, February 1979, pp. 75-83, 92; and especially, Michael Graf Wolf Metternich, Deutsche Raketenfahrzeug auf Strasse, Schiene und Eis 1828 bis 1931 (Verlag Hermann E. Sieger GmbH: Lorch, Wüttemberg (Germany). 1997).
  15. ^ Cover, Die Rakete, 15 May 1928; Johannes Winkler, “Amtliche Bekkantmchung,” Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, p. 66; (Probably Johannes Winkler), “Die Lage,” Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, p. 66; “Fr. W. Sander,” 15 May 1928, p. 78; “Der Raketenwagen (Rak 2),” (picture story), Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, p. 67; “Quittungen” (Another donation of 50 RM to VfR by von Opel), Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, p. 80; Ley, Rockets, Missiles, pp. 401-405.
  16. ^ Guido von Pirquet, “Fahrtrouten,” Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, pp. 67-74; Fritz Sykora, “Guido von Pirquet - Austrian Pioneer of Astronautics,” in R. Cargill Hall, ed., History of Rocketry and Astronautics - Proceedings of the Third through the Sixth History Symposia of the International Academy of Astronautics, AAS History Series, Vol. 7, Part 2 (Univelt, Inc.: San Diego, California, 1986), pp. 143-153; Ley, Rockets, Missiles, pp. 139-140, 300, 371-372; “Vorabdruck aus dem Sammelwerk Die Möglichkeit der Weltraumfahrt,” followed by sample chapter in this work, Dr. Karl Debus, “Raumschiffahrt und Bewohnbarkeitsphantasien seit der Renaissance bis heute,” Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, pp. 75-76; “Veranstaltungen in Breslau,” Die Rakete, 15 May 1928, pp. 77-78.
  17. ^ “Amtlich Bekanntmachung,” Die Rakete, 15 June 1928, p. 82; Cover, Die Rakete, 15 July 1928; “Der erste Raketenflug mit Besatzung,” Die Rakete, 15 July 1928, p. 98; “Johannes Winkler,” Die Rakete, 15 July 1928, p. 110: Advertisement, Feuerwerkei Benno Jakubowitz, Breslau, Die Rakete, 15 June 1928, p. 112; Notice to (VfR) members on caution in using commercially sold rocket motors, Die Rakete, 15 October 1928, p. 160. See also, Ley, Rockets, Missiles, p. 135 on accidents for amateur rocketry at that time.
  18. ^ Robert Esnault-Pelterie, “Astronautik und Relativitätstheorie,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1928, pp. 114-117; Woodford A. Heflin, “Who Said it First? `Astronautics,'” Aerospace Historian, Vol. 16, Summer 1969, pp. 44-47; Winter, Prelude, p. 25; Willy Ley,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1928, p. 126; “Ingenieur Guido von Pirquet,” Die Rakete, 15 October 1928, p. 159; Guido von Pirquet, “Fahrtrouten,” Die Rakete, 15 August 1928, pp. 118-119, 121.
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