Hermann Julius Oberth (German: [ˈhɛrman ˈjuːli̯ʊs ˈoːbɛrt]; born June 25, 1894; died December 28, 1989) was a German physicist and early expert in rocket science. He was born in Austro-Hungary and was of Transylvanian Saxon heritage. During World War II, Oberth helped with Nazi Germany's war efforts and was given the War Merit Cross (1st Class) in 1943.

Early life

Oberth was born into a family of Transylvanian Saxons in Nagyszeben (Hermannstadt), which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (now Sibiu in Romania). He spoke German as his first language and was also fluent in Hungarian and Romanian. At age 11, Oberth became interested in rockets after reading the books of Jules Verne, especially From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon. He read these books many times until he remembered them by heart. At 14, he built his first model rocket while in school. During his experiments, Oberth discovered the idea of a multistage rocket on his own. However, he did not have the tools or resources to test his ideas at that time.

In 1912, Oberth began studying medicine in Munich, Germany. When World War I started, he was forced to join the Imperial German Army and was assigned to an infantry unit sent to fight on the Eastern Front against Russia. In 1915, he was transferred to a medical unit at a hospital in Segesvár (German: Schäßburg; Romanian: Sighișoara), Transylvania, which was then part of Austria-Hungary (now Romania). There, he found time to conduct experiments about weightlessness and continued working on his rocket designs. By 1917, he shared plans for a missile using liquid fuel that could travel 290 kilometers (180 miles) with Hermann von Stein, the Prussian Minister of War.

On July 6, 1918, Oberth married Mathilde Hummel, and they had four children. One of his children died as a soldier during World War II. His daughter, Ilse (born in 1924), died on August 28, 1944, in an accident at a facility where she worked as a rocket technician. The facility tested V-2 rocket engines and produced liquid oxygen.

In 1919, Oberth returned to Germany to study physics, first in Munich and later at the University of Göttingen. In 1922, his proposed doctoral thesis on rocket science was rejected as "utopian." However, Professor Augustin Maior of the University of Cluj in Romania allowed Oberth to defend his thesis there, and he earned his doctorate on May 23, 1923. He published his 92-page work privately in June 1923 as Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket into Planetary Space), a book that caused some controversy. By 1929, Oberth expanded this work into a 429-page book titled Wege zur Raumschiffahrt (Ways to Spaceflight). Later, Oberth said he chose not to write another doctoral thesis, believing he could become a great scientist without a doctorate. He criticized the German education system, saying it focused too much on the past and not enough on the future.

In 1927, Oberth joined the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR), a group of amateur rocket enthusiasts who were inspired by his work. He helped guide members of the group, including future scientists like Wernher von Braun, Rolf Engel, Rudolf Nebel, and Paul Ehmayr. During the 1920s and 1930s, Oberth faced challenges finding work or teaching at universities, a problem worsened by the Great Depression starting in 1929. From 1924 to 1938, he supported his family by teaching physics and mathematics at the Stephan Ludwig Roth High School in Mediaș, Romania.

Rocketry and spaceflight

In parts of 1928 and 1929, Oberth worked as a science advisor in Berlin for the film Woman in the Moon, which was written by Thea von Harbou and directed and produced by Fritz Lang for the company Universum Film AG. The film helped make rocketry and space exploration more well-known. Oberth’s main job was to build and launch a rocket as a publicity event before the film’s premiere. He also designed the model of the Friede, the main rocket shown in the film.

On June 5, 1929, Oberth received the first Prix REP-Hirsch Award from the French Astronomical Society. This award honored his important work in astronautics and interplanetary travel, especially his book Ways to Spaceflight, which expanded on his earlier work The Rocket to Interplanetary Space. The book was dedicated to Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou.

Oberth’s student, Max Valier, worked with Fritz von Opel to create the first major rocket experiment called Opel-RAK. This project led to speed records for cars and trains and the world’s first rocket plane. The Opel RAK.1, designed by Julius Hatry, was shown to the public and media on September 30, 1929, with Fritz von Opel as the pilot. Valier and von Opel’s work influenced future spaceflight pioneers, including another of Oberth’s students, Wernher von Braun.

After the Opel RAK team successfully tested liquid-fuel rockets in April 1929, Oberth tested his first liquid-fueled rocket engine in the fall of 1929. He named the engine Kegeldüse. Klaus Riedel built the engine in a workshop owned by the Reich Institution of Chemical Technology. Although the engine did not have a cooling system, it briefly worked. An 18-year-old student, Wernher von Braun, helped with the experiment. Later, von Braun became a leading figure in rocket engineering in both Germany and the United States, especially known for the Saturn V rockets that helped humans land on the Moon in 1969 and after.

Basic research and technical drafts

In 1923, Oberth published a book called The Rocket to the Planetary Spaces. This book is often seen as a starting point for interest in rocketry and space travel in Germany. Many engineers who later worked on rockets were inspired by Oberth’s detailed and clear explanations of rocket science and his bold ideas. His work caused strong debates, which were called the "Battle of the Many Formulas." A second edition of the book was published in 1925 and sold out quickly. In his book, Oberth presented these ideas:

• Premise 1: With current science and technology, machines that can fly above Earth’s atmosphere are likely to be built.
• Premise 2: If these machines are improved, they could reach speeds fast enough to leave Earth’s gravity.
• Premise 3: These machines could be designed to carry people safely into space.
• Premise 4: If certain economic conditions are met, building such machines could be valuable. These conditions might happen in a few decades.

When Sputnik was launched in 1957 and Yuri Gagarin traveled to space in 1961, Oberth’s ideas, which seemed impossible in the 1920s, became real within less than 40 years. Marsha Freeman wrote, "Rockets were only a way to achieve a goal: space travel." Oberth dreamed of traveling between planets and creating a human presence on multiple worlds. In his 1923 book, he described experiments in weightless space, space telescopes, studying the sun’s corona, space stations for Earth observation, and a space mirror in Earth’s orbit to influence weather.

In 1929, Oberth published a third, expanded edition of his book titled Ways to Spaceflight. This book became a key reference for space exploration and rocket technology. French pioneer Robert Esnault-Pelterie called it the "Bible of scientific astronautics." In this book, Oberth discussed using two-stage rockets for crewed space flights, space suits, space telescopes, and space stations orbiting Earth at 700 to 1,200 km for weather and Earth observation. He also described his space mirror, which he invented in 1923, with a size of 100 to 300 km in Earth’s orbit. This mirror could be used to influence weather or reduce solar radiation in specific areas. In a chapter titled "Journeys to Strange Worlds," Oberth outlined plans for trips to the Moon, asteroids, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and comets.

In 1923, Oberth first described his idea for space mirrors in his book Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (The Rocket to Interplanetary Space). These mirrors, with diameters from 100 to 300 km, were to be made of a grid of adjustable pieces. Oberth’s space mirrors in Earth’s orbit could focus sunlight on specific areas of Earth or redirect it into space. This idea differs from creating shaded areas at a point between Earth and the Sun, as it does not block sunlight across the entire Earth. Oberth believed these mirrors could light cities, help prevent natural disasters, change weather patterns, and even create more living space for people. He also emphasized their ability to influence weather systems. However, more research is needed before such projects can be used practically.

Oberth continued to update his ideas in later books, including Ways to Spaceflight (1929), People in Space. New Projects for Rocket and Space (1957), and The Space Mirror (1978). To reduce costs, Oberth suggested using materials from the Moon to build parts of the space mirrors. The Moon’s weaker gravity would require less energy to launch these parts into lunar orbit. Components would be launched from the Moon using an electromagnetic system, then assembled at a point in space called the 60° libration point. These parts would then be moved to Earth orbit by electric spaceships designed by Oberth. Once in orbit, the parts would be built into mirrors 100 to 300 km in size. Oberth estimated that this project could be completed between 2018 and 2038.

Oberth noted that these mirrors could also be used as weapons. Because of this, he believed such a project could only be completed if it was part of a global peace effort.

In 2023, Oberth’s space mirror concept is studied as part of Climate Engineering, specifically under Solar Radiation Management (SRM), a type of space mirror technology. Scientists also examine the risks of using such mirrors to change weather and climate.

In 1953, Oberth described a lunar vehicle for exploring the Moon. This vehicle would weigh about 10,000 kg on Earth but only 1,654 kg on the Moon due to weaker gravity. It would be built on Earth, sent to the Moon, and dropped onto the lunar surface. The vehicle would have a single leg and a tracked base measuring 2.5 meters by 2.5 meters. A 51.5 kW motor would allow it to travel up to 150 km/h, depending on the terrain. Solar panels above the crew cabin and a gyroscope would provide power. The leg, a sealed cylinder, would move like a piston to jump up to 125 meters high and several hundred meters wide. The gyroscope would keep the vehicle upright, preventing it from tilting more than 45 degrees. Oberth explained that the vehicle would jump to cross large gaps or move between high and low areas. He wrote, "I wanted to give my readers not just rough sketches, but detailed drawings and descriptions based on precise calculations and designs."

Tasks in World War II

From 1923 to 1938, Oberth worked as a high school teacher for physics and mathematics in Transylvania, Romania, with short breaks in 1929 and 1930. Because he was well-known internationally and had connections outside Romania, he was considered a risk to the secrecy of the V-2 rocket project in Peenemünde, which was the world’s first large rocket. In June 1938, he was given a two-year research contract with the German Research Institute for Aviation (DVL) at the Vienna University of Technology. Later, in July 1940, he worked at the University of Technology Dresden. In May 1941, when he tried to return to Transylvania, he was given German citizenship and drafted in August 1941 under the name "Friedrich Hann" to the Army Research Institute Peenemünde, where the V-2 rocket was developed under the leadership of Wernher von Braun. Oberth did not work directly on the rocket but reviewed patents and wrote reports, such as "About the best outline of multi-stage rockets" and "Defense against enemy planes with large, remote-controlled solid missile." Oberth believed the V-2 design was too complex and costly for military use and had suggested a simpler solid fuel rocket for the same purpose. In September 1943, he was awarded the War Merit Cross 1st Class, with Swords, for his "outstanding, courageous behavior" during an Allied attack on Peenemünde on August 17–18, 1943, known as Operation Hydra. In December 1943, Oberth requested a transfer to WASAG in Reinsdorf near Wittenberg, Germany, to develop the anti-aircraft solid missile he had recommended. He fled there in April 1945, was sent to two different U.S. internment camps, was released in August 1945 as a person "unaffected by the Nazi era," and later moved to live with his family near Nuremberg in Feucht, where they had relocated in 1943.

Post-war period

Oberth was not part of the American "Project Paperclip" because he did not help create the V-2 rocket. Oberth did not work in Germany as a teacher, scientist, or mathematician, so he moved to Switzerland in 1948. There, he worked as a scientific advisor and wrote for a specialized magazine called Interavia. From 1950 to 1953, Oberth served in the Italian Navy and helped design a rocket powered by solid fuel. In 1953, he returned to Feucht, Germany, to publish his book Menschen im Weltraum (Man into Space), where he described ideas for space telescopes, space stations, electric-powered spacecraft, and space suits. From 1955, Oberth worked for Wernher von Braun, his former assistant, who was developing rockets for NASA in Huntsville, Alabama. Oberth helped prepare a study titled "The Development of Space Technology in the Next Ten Years." In 1958, he returned to Feucht, Germany, where he shared ideas for a lunar exploration vehicle, a "moon catapult," and "damped" helicopters and airplanes. In 1961, Oberth went back to the United States, where he worked as a technical advisor for the Atlas missile program at Convair Corporation. He retired in 1962.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Oberth shared his views about unidentified flying objects (UFOs). He believed UFOs might originate from outer space and be controlled by intelligent beings. In an article published in The American Weekly magazine on October 24, 1954, Oberth wrote, "I believe flying saucers are real and are spaceships from another solar system. I think they may be piloted by intelligent observers who have studied Earth for many years." He also wrote an article titled "They Come From Outer Space" for the second edition of Flying Saucer Review. In it, he discussed reports of "strange luminous objects" in the sky, noting that the earliest known case was "Shining Shields" reported by Pliny the Elder. Oberth stated, "After considering all possibilities, I believe the most likely explanation is that flying discs come from outer space. I call this idea the 'Uraniden' hypothesis, because from our perspective, these beings appear to come from the sky (Greek – 'Uranos')."

Later life

Oberth retired in 1962 when he was 68 years old. From 1965 to 1967, he was a member of the National Democratic Party of Germany, a far-right political group. In July 1969, Oberth returned to the United States to watch the launch of the Apollo project’s Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This rocket carried the Apollo 11 crew on the first mission to land on the Moon.

The 1973 oil crisis inspired Oberth to study alternative energy sources, including a plan for a wind power station that could use the jet stream. However, his main focus during his retirement years was exploring more abstract philosophical questions. One of his most well-known books from this time was Primer For Those Who Would Govern.

Oberth returned to the United States to view the launch of STS-61-A, a mission carried out by the Space Shuttle Challenger, on October 30, 1985.

Oberth died in Nuremberg, West Germany, on December 28, 1989, shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Stille Hilfe, a Nazi support organization, described Oberth as a "loyal supporter and donor" in its obituary about him.

Awards and honors

• Member of the Coetus Chlamydatorum Schaessburgiensis (Assembly of the Schaeßburg Gymnasium)
• List from the Oberth biography by Hans Barth

• 1927: Honorary member of the German Verein für Raumschiffahrt (Space Flight Association), Berlin
• 1929: International Astronautics Award (Robert Esnault-Pelterie-Hirsch Award) from the Société astronomique de France, Paris
• 1946: Honorary member of the Astronautical Section of the French Academy of Sciences, Paris
• 1948: Honorary President of the Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung (Society for Space Research), Stuttgart, Germany
• 1949: Honorary memberships of the British Interplanetary Society, London / Dansk Selskab for Rumfartsforskening, Copenhagen / Pacific Rocket Society / Detroit Rocket Society / Northwest German Society for Space Flight
• 1950: The Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung (Society for Space Research) donates the Hermann Oberth Medal
• 1951: Honorary President of the Detroit Rocket Society
• 1952: Honorary President of the Deutsche Raketen-Gesellschaft (German Rocket Society), Bremen, Germany
• 1952: Honorary President of the Vereinigte Astronautische Vereinigung (United Astronautical Association), Leipzig
• 1953: Honorary member of the Schweizerischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Raumfahrt (Swiss Association for Astronautics), Lucerne
• 1954: Diesel Medal in gold from the Deutschen Erfinderverbandes (German Inventors' Association), Nuremberg
• 1954: Honorary memberships of the Austrian Society for Space Research, Vienna / German Association of Inventors
• 1955: Plaque of Honor from the American Astronautical Society
• 1956: Edward Pendray Award from the American Rocket Society, New York
• 1958: The American Astronautical Society donates the Hermann Oberth Award
• 1959: The American Rocket Society donates the Hermann Oberth Award
• 1960: Honorary member of the Hellenic Astronautical Society, Athens, Greece
• 1961: Honorary Doctorate from Wesley College, Mount Pleasant (Iowa, US)
• 1961: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Cross of Merit
• 1961: Awarded the Yuri Gagarin Medal
• 1961: Honorary memberships of the Association Internazionale "Uomini nello Sazio," Rome / Centro Italiano Ricerche Elettroniche Nuclear, Rome
• 1961: Hat of Honor and Golden Key of the City of El Paso, US
• 1962: Prix Galabert, Paris
• 1962: Odre du Merite pour la Recherche et l'Invention from the Société d'Encouragement pour la Recherche et l'Invention, Paris
• 1963: Honorary member of the Spanish Astronautical Association
• 1963: Honorary doctorate Dr.-Ing. eh from the Technische Universität Berlin
• 1963: The Deutsche Raketen-Gesellschaft (German Rocket Society) is renamed to Hermann-Oberth-Gesellschaft, now Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Lilienthal – Oberth
• 1963: Joseph-Ritter-von-Prechtl Medal from the University of Vienna
• 1963: Honorary memberships of the Portuguese Astronautical Association / Society for Interplanetary Science, Vienna
• 1965: Pioneer necklace of the compass rose with brilliant from the International Committee of Aerospace Activities
• 1968: Honorary member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin (German Society for Aerospace Medicine)
• 1969: Honorary doctorate from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
• 1969: Medal from the International Academy for Astronautics (IAA)
• 1969: The Hermann Oberth Society donates the Hermann Oberth Ring of Honor and a Hermann Oberth Award
• 1969: Honorary member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and AIAA Medal of Honor
• 1969: Honorary member of the Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung und Flugkörpertechnik (Austrian Society for Space Research and Missile Technology), Vienna
• 1969: Honorary member of the Centro de Estudios Interplanetarios, Madrid
• 1969: Golden Key of the City

Legacy

Hermann Oberth is honored by the Hermann Oberth Space Travel Museum in Feucht, Germany, and by the Hermann Oberth Society. The museum gathers scientists, researchers, engineers, and astronauts from different parts of the world to continue his work in rocket science and space exploration.

In 1980, Oberth was added to the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

The Danish Astronautical Society has given Hermann Oberth the title of honorary member.

In Romania, the Faculty of Engineering at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu is named after him. In 1994, a memorial house was created in Mediaș to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. This house displays items related to rocket technology and space travel and includes a room with videos about space.

Oberth discovered the Oberth effect, a method to save fuel during space travel between planets. This method is still used today. A crater on the Moon and an asteroid, numbered 9253 Oberth, are also named after him.

In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the spaceship USS Grissom was called an Oberth-class starship. Other Oberth-class starships appeared in later Star Trek movies and TV shows.

Books

• Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (1923) – The Rocket into Planetary Space (2014) – English translation of Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen – de Gruyter
• Wege zur Raumschiffahrt (1929) – Ways to Spaceflight (1972) – English translation of Wege zur Raumschiffahrt – OCLC 255256956
• Menschen in Weltraum (1957) – written in German – ECON-VeERLAG Dusseldorf
• The Moon Car (1959) – OCLC 574140
• The Electric Spaceship (1960) – OCLC 20586236
• Primer for Those Who Would Govern (1987) – ISBN 0-914301-06-3
• Georgiy Stepanovich Vetrov, S. P. Korolyov and space. First steps – 1994 – M. Nauka – ISBN 5-02-000214-3
• S. P. Korolev. Encyclopedia of life and creativity – edited by C. A. Lopota, RSC Energia – S. P. Korolev, 2014 – ISBN 978-5-906674-04-3