Australian Science Illustrated — Issue 54 2017

O

n the roof of the rocket assembly shop in

Peenemünde on the Baltic Sea in Germany,

Wernher von Braun is waiting anxiously. The

sun is shining, and it is about 1600h on the

first Saturday of October 1942, and through

his binoculars, von Braun, the head of the Nazi rocket

programme, is staring intently at the launch platform, where

a 14-m-tall rocket is pointing at the sky, ready for lift-off.

The black and white V-2 rocket is the symbol of von

Braun’s ambitious dream of

conquering space, but some 10

years in the profession have

taught him that no rocket is a

good rocket, until it has been

successfully launched. In the

case of the V-2, there is extra

reason to be cautious: previous

attempts at launching the

ground-breaking, liquid-powered

rocket have resulted in huge

explosions and total failure

shortly after lift-off.

Nervously, von Braun listens

to the countdown, and then it happens: a huge flame is

discharged from the rocket's tail, as it lifts off, slowly at

first, but soon gaining impressive speed.

As a deafening roar sweeps the base, the V-2 rocket

starts to tilt four seconds after lift-off, continuing on a

curving course over the Baltic Sea. After 25 seconds, the

rocket breaks the sound barrier, disappearing as a small,

glowing dot on the horizon.

The cry of “Brennschluss!” (stop the fuel supply),

comes over the speakers about one minute after lift-off,

and the next second, the engine is deactivated. People

cheer. Von Braun and his colleagues are thrilled, but it is

still unknown whether the mission is a total success.

ADOLF HITLER

GERMAN CHANCELLOR

1933-1945

Professor, I

would like

to congratulate you on

your success.

Wernher von Braun
became a Nazi in
1937, profiting from
the German army's
resources in his
rocket programme.

According to plan, the V-2 will continue to an altitude

of about 85 km, to the threshold of space, after which it

is supposed to descend again at a speed of some 5,000

km/h – or 4.5 times the speed of sound.

Five unbearably long minutes after launch, von Braun

gets his news: the signal from the rocket is abruptly

terminated, indicating that after travelling 190 km, it has

landed in the Baltic Sea as planned. An achievement

opening wide perspectives, it turns out.

HITLER IS IMPRESSED

For the first time ever, a man-

made object has stepped to the

threshold space, and the object

is innovative through and

through. So far, rockets have

used solid fuel, which is heavy

and not very efficient, but the

V-2 uses liquid oxygen and

alcohol, producing an

unprecedented combustion

temperature and hence fuel

efficiency, allowing the rocket

to produce more force per kg of fuel. The results are

sensational: The rocket is the first to travel faster than

the speed of sound, and its reach is no less than 320 km

• longer than even the best of artillery.
  The successful test is a triumph for the chief
  developer. Since he was young, 31-year-old Wernher von
  Braun has experimented with rockets, hoping to pave the
  way for man to one day conquer space, travelling to the
  Moon or even to Mars.
  However, von Braun’s rocket is not meant to be an
  adventurous space pioneer. The Nazis solely see the
  revolutionary rocket as a miracle weapon, to terrorise the
  British and make the Third Reich win the war. The V of the

VON BRAUNWERNHER

CREATIVE COMMONS

SPACE ROCKETS