Tom Jensen (@vikinglife)

German Aerospace Center (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., DLR, literally German Center for Air- and Space-flight) The oldest predecessor organization of DLR was established by Ludwig Prandtl in Göttingen in 1907. This Modellversuchsanstalt der Motorluftschiff-Studiengesellschaft (MLStG; German for "Institute for Testing of Aerodynamic Models of the Powered Airship Society") later became the Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt ("Aerodynamics Laboratory" or "Aerodynamic Experimental Station"). In the 1920s Max Valier, a student of rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth, co-founded the Verein für Raumschiffahrt, VfR, or "Association of Space-Flight", with Johannes Winkler and Willy Ley. In parallel he was acting in collaboration with Fritz von Opel as one of the heads of Opel RAK, a private venture leading to the first manned rocket cars and rocket planes which paved the way for the "Nazi" era V2 program and US and Soviet activities from 1950 onwards. The Opel RAK program and the spectacular public demonstrations of ground and air vehicles drew large crowds, as well as caused global public excitement, and had a large impact on later spaceflight pioneers. The Great Depression put an end to the program and briefly after its break-up, Valier eventually was killed while experimenting as part of VfR activities in collaboration with Heylandt-Werke on liquid-fueled rockets in April 1930. He is considered the first fatality of the early space age. Valier's protégé Arthur Rudolph went on to develop an improved and safer version of Valier's engine. Valier and von Opel had engaged in a program that led directly to use of jet-assisted takeoff for heavily laden aircraft. Their experiments had also a tremendous influence on Alexander Lippisch, whose experience with the rocket-powered Ente ("Duck") eventually paved the way to the Messerschmitt Me-163, the first operational rocket fighter craft. The private experiments of the late 1920s and early 1930s excited also the interest of the German military, which provided funding for further development of rockets as a replacement for artillery. This led to an array of military applications, among them Germany's V-2 terror weapon, the world's first ballistic missile, and also the first human-made object to surpass the Kármán line and thus leaving the Earth's atmosphere. Read more at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Aerospace_Center German Guided Weapons – Facts, Myths & Common Misconceptions [Fritz-X | Hs293] Many stories exist surrounding the FritzX and Hs293, German guided weapons during WW2. Let’s have an indepth analysis of both and clear up some misconceptions. VLB: https://web.archive.org/web/20220727163742/https://vikinglifeblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/german-guided-weapons-facts-myths-common-misconceptions-fritz-x-hs293/ Fritz X was a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Developed alongside the Henschel Hs 293, Fritz X was one of the first precision guided weapons deployed in combat. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternative names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400 (the latter, along with the unguided PC 1400 Fritz nickname, is the origin for the name "Fritz X"). Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_X #Luftwaffe #WWII #WW2 #KonradZuse #WernherVonBraun #Germany #Deutschland #GermanAerospaceCenter #DLR #MadeInGermany