The name of Hermann Julius Oberth is permanently linked to the beginnings of the space age. Alongside Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Robert H. Goddard, he is considered one of the founders of rocket science and modern space navigation. His destiny crossed dramatic eras, from the two world wars to the historic moment when man stepped onto the Moon. Symbolically, the capital of Romania preserves his memory through a street that bears his name, a gesture of recognition for his contribution to the progress of universal science and for his connection to the Romanian space.

Childhood and fascination with space

His life and activity illustrate the tension between the scientific dream and the political realities of the 20th century. He was a visionary who imagined interplanetary travel long before it became possible, but also a man involved in controversial military programs. His biography is therefore a complex one, marked by extraordinary achievements and difficult moments. 

Hermann Oberth was born in a period when science was making important strides, yet the idea of cosmic flight still seemed a distant dream. Influenced, according to accounts, by his grandfather, who around 1869 claimed that within a hundred years humans would be able to travel to the Moon, young Hermann developed early on an imagination oriented toward the cosmos. This family prophecy would later gain an almost symbolic meaning in his life.

His interest in science was also stimulated by his father, who offered him a microscope, opening the door to the exploration of natural phenomena. At the same time, the literature of Jules Verne, especially the novel From the Earth to the Moon, fueled his imagination. At only 14 years old, Oberth built his first rocket model, an experiment that announced the direction to which he would dedicate his entire existence.

His childhood and adolescence were marked by experiments, readings, and repeated attempts to understand the laws of physics. In an era when cosmic flight was considered the domain of fantasy, he dared to treat it as a technical problem solvable through calculations and engineering.

From medicine to physics: the road to rocket science

Initially, Oberth chose to study medicine at the University of Munich. After only one year, the outbreak of the First World War led him to participate as a military medic. The experience of the front, however, showed him that he did not find himself in this profession and that his true calling remained science.

Having returned to his studies, he opted for physics, a field in which he could capitalize on his passion for mechanics and mathematics. His bachelor’s thesis, dedicated to rocket science, was rejected by the committee, being considered too daring and lacking realism. The idea that man could travel into space seemed, for the academic environment of that time, a utopia.

The refusal did not discourage him. Oberth published his research on his own, stirring heated debates in the press and in scientific circles. This perseverance would transform him into a landmark for a new generation of engineers and dreamers who believed in the possibility of exploring the cosmos.

The fundamental works and the first liquid-fuel rockets

In 1923, Oberth published the volume The Rocket into Planetary Space, a work that theoretically demonstrated the possibility of cosmic flight with the help of liquid-fuel rockets. The book had a major impact and established him as an authority in the field.

His second important work, Ways to Space Travel, published in 1929, deepened the concepts of space navigation and was considered by some specialists as the “Bible” of astronautics. In the same year, he launched the first liquid-fuel rocket, named “Kegeldüse,” built together with students of the Technical University of Berlin.

Among these students was also Wernher von Braun, who would become a central figure of the American space program. Oberth’s influence on the young von Braun was decisive, and their collaboration opened the path to the development of modern rockets.

For his theoretical contributions, Oberth received the International Astronautics Prize of the French Academy, an important recognition in a period when the field was still at its beginning.

Involvement in the V-2 program and the controversies of the war

Under the leadership of Wernher von Braun, but benefiting from the theoretical foundation laid by Oberth, the V-2 ballistic rockets were developed. These were used by Adolf Hitler’s regime during the Second World War.

The first V-2 rocket was launched against London on September 8, 1944, inaugurating a bombing campaign that caused panic and massive destruction. Until the last attack, on March 27, 1945, approximately 2,500 people lost their lives, and thousands more were injured. The V-2 rocket is considered the precursor of modern rockets, both military and space.

Oberth worked until the end of the war in the German rocket program, including on solid-fuel projects intended for defense. His involvement in these programs remains a sensitive subject, illustrating the dilemma of scientists who worked under totalitarian regimes.

From military rockets to the conquest of the Moon

After the war, many German specialists in the field of rockets were recruited into the space programs of the great powers. Oberth came to collaborate with the American industry and, in 1960, worked as a technical expert at Convair, involved in the development of the Atlas rockets.

Subsequently, for five years, he contributed to the projects of the American space agency NASA. His experience and vision were capitalized within the Apollo program, which culminated in the Apollo 11 mission. This made it possible for Neil Armstrong to become the first man to step onto the Moon in July 1969.

Thus, the ideas that Oberth had formulated as early as the 1920s became reality in the middle of the century. From the V-2 rockets to Saturn V and the lunar missions, the evolution of space technology confirmed the validity of his theoretical principles.

The last years and the scientific legacy

Beyond his collaboration with the United States, Oberth also participated in European projects, including the development of anti-aircraft rockets for the Naval Forces of Italy. In the last part of his life, his interest extended toward the field of alternative energy, drafting plans for a wind power plant.

Hermann Oberth died on December 28, 1989, in Germany, leaving behind an impressive scientific legacy. In the locality of Feucht, the Hermann Oberth Space Museum operates, dedicated to his work and contributions. In Romania, the Faculty of Engineering in Sibiu bears his name, and a street in Bucharest honors his memory.

The presence of his name in the Romanian public space has symbolic value. It reminds us of the contribution of a scholar who, starting from the dreams of a child fascinated by the stars, decisively influenced the evolution of space technology. 

The life of Hermann Oberth remains a lesson about the power of bold ideas, about perseverance, and about the way in which science can shape the destiny of humanity, both in its moments of glory and in its moments of trial.

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