All kinds of legends are not currently goes about the time of the Third Reich!Aircraft with forward-swept wing jet aircraft and "flying saucers," top-secret research lab Anenerbe located almost in kilometers under the ground ...
Most of all this - the usual fabrications and frank delirium.But there was one sector in which the Germans really gone far enough - rocketry.Their V-2 "vengeance weapons" was indeed a technological breakthrough.Especially "appreciated" the power of these missiles the British, as the weapon was produced and used to attack London.
brief historical
Each V-2 was launched with a special mobile home installation.On board each missile, which had a length of 14 meters, was almost a ton of explosives.For the first time this type of rocket fell on London in early September 1944.After she left ten-hopper, three killed and 22 wounded man.
Before her the Germans had used the flying bomb V-1, but this technique is a fundamentally new specimen of weapons.The missile flies to the goal in just five minutes, whereby the detection of the period proved to be totally powerless in front of her.From a historical point of view, the V-2 is the latest attempt of the German defense industry to turn the tide of the war in their favor.On the outcome of the World "superweapon" did not have any effect, but it was an important milestone in the development of world rocketry and space exploration.
Witnesses later recalled that air rises huge piles of debris, all of this was accompanied by a terrible crash.Launching missiles themselves passed almost silently: in most cases, this event looked like a light cotton wafting from the other side of the Channel.
On development and cost ...
How many people died because of the V-2 launch is still unknown, as such data is not recorded anywhere.It is believed that only one of Britain against missile attacks killed nearly three thousand people.That's only production itself "miracle weapon" has taken away the life of at least 20 thousand people.
Missiles built by the prisoners of concentration camps.They had not believed their lives were not worth anything.Going V-2 rocket from the nearby Buchenwald, the work was around the clock.To expedite the process, experts (especially welders and turners) were brought from other German concentration camps.People are starving, they were kept out of the sunlight into the underground bunkers.For any offense prisoners were hung directly on the cranes, assembly lines.
creator of these rockets, Wernher von Braun, is perhaps the genius of world rocket.Evil genius, to say: von Braun never tormented those who are going to create their weapons, the conditions in which the unfortunate prisoners worked and died.However, recognition of the merits of this man was under a significant base Allies after the capture of the technical documentation on missiles acknowledged the superiority of the German development of their projects.
Next to the stars!
For its time, the rocket engine was extremely powerful, he was able to lift it to a height of about 80 kilometers in the flight range of about 200 kilometers.The power plant runs on a mixture of oxygen and technical ethanol.Most importantly, the Germans began to use the supply of oxidant (oxygen), which was placed in a container on board the rocket.This makes it independent of the ambient air.Furthermore, since it succeeded greatly increase engine power.We can say that V-2 rocket was the first technique, which could really leave the Earth, reaching the cosmos.
course, little development in this area there were approximately 30-ies of the last century.But they are all characterized by a much more modest size, a small reserve of fuel, and the cosmos in their development no one dreamed.Thus, V-2, "superweapon" of the Third Reich, was a real springboard, which helped all of humanity to explore near-Earth space.
technological breakthrough
But even this is not so impressed technicians allied states.The most important technological innovation that massively used in the construction of these missiles has become a fully autonomous system targeting.
In those days it was a real fantasy, make that real could only V-2!"Superweapon" Third Reich could hit its target at all without the need for a tip-off from the ground.To achieve such impressive results, the German developers to use simple (at present) electronics.In the "on-board computer" before you start entering coordinates the purposes for which and "focused" rocket.
Other technical solutions
In addition, for the first time were used specifically by gyroscopes, which with considerable precision stable flight.Handlebars located on the lateral stabilizers, corrected direction in the event that the missile deviated from the set course.Not surprisingly, even before the end of the war the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain were eager to take over the creation of technology V-2 (there are photos of her on the pages of this article).
For obvious reasons, von Braun was not too longed to get into the hands of Soviet soldiers, preferring American "prisoner".The Soviet Union has remained almost the whole assembly line, multiple instances of rockets and a few people of technical personnel.Russian and American experts dismantled the equipment items, which fell to their countries, literally screw.However, the Yankees German V-2 rocket is so interested that they immediately took a few pieces of the ocean.There's a new technique has been used for some high-altitude experiments.Further developments
Brown
In the United States were aware that the designer V-2 which is more valuable than an assembly line for its production.Von Braun was aware that the Americans immediately provide him with all necessary for a good life and to continue further work, but because it quickly surrendered allies.We must pay tribute to this man: in spite of his active participation in the program of creation of intercontinental missiles, he made every effort to the main activity of his department focused on the development of the space program, as this is what he had dreamed of almost all my life.
soon created the V-2 rocket makes its American version, "Redstone".It is in fact a continuation of the line of German rockets, with minor "cosmetic" improvements and additions.Later revised and significantly improved version of the "Redstone" in 1961. Americans used to deliver into orbit its first astronaut, Alan Shepard.
Legacy von Braun
Thus, look for a link between those missiles that were going to cost the lives of thousands of prisoners of war, and the first flight into space is not so difficult.Simply put, the Americans got not only the creator of V-2, and all the technological developments in this area.Technology, which cost enormous resources, the most important of which were human lives.
once there is quite a complicated moral and ethical question: how realistic it was to send a man into space, artificial satellites and walked on the moon, not using the technique, which was developed by Nazi scientists?Of course, the Soviet Union and the United States have their own development, but the "help" of Nazi Germany allowed to save huge amounts of time and money.In general, nothing unprecedented has happened this time: a war spurred many scientific industries.In the 30-40s of the last century it is particularly affected the rocket, which until then stayed almost in its infancy.
fundamental contribution to space exploration
Generally, those fundamental principles on which developed the V-1 and V-2, have not changed significantly over the past seven decades.The overall design of rocket engine remains unchanged, the liquid fuel to prove that it is the best option, and in flight stabilization system and still use all the same gyros.All of these decisions once laid thanks to V-2."Weapon of retaliation" once again proved the power of human thought.Thanks so far used the technique, a man was a constant reminder that science should always be mindful of humanity.
Modern use
Do not assume that the FAA today exists only in the form of government space programs.About 15-20 years ago some enthusiasts began to talk about that soon the construction of spacecraft will be the prerogative of private specialists.Today, Elon Musk has demonstrated the truth of these statements.
At the same time, these people could not count on the help of powerful investors, no one believed them.And even more so they would have no one to pass the technology on which we could build the rocket.To help came again V-2.It was her scheme form the basis of the private spacecraft designers who promise to soon begin to catch large cosmic orders from the state sector.
