OTRAG

History

The OTRAG rocket should represent an inexpensive alternative to at that time still the systems of the European rocket Ariane and the US-American space shuttle in planning and/or development stage. Under the line of South German engineer Lutz Kayser therefore a private operator consortium (not completely admits its members until today are) developed the OTRAG rocket. Here a concept was taken up, that toward end 2. World war from who ago the "rocket center" so mentioned by brown in Peenemuende developed was, after the allied ones had destroyed the German fuel yards and refineries to a large extent: A missile should be built, for a thrust as possible as high with as simple a means as possible reached.

Technique

OTRAG existed, contrary to which well-known multi-level rockets, out in each other geschachtelten drive pipes, at whose point the carrier cap sat, the loads up to two (later planned: ten) Tons (the weight of a then usual communications satellite) into a geostationary orbit have carried could. Together was built the rocket from individual pipes, which were 27 centimeters thick in each case three meters long and. In each case eight of these pipes were installed one above the other, whereby they engaged by bayonet fixings in each other, and in each case four of the 24 meters developed in such a way are enough for fuel container beside each other were installed and at the lower end with an engine provided. The engine was easily laterally transferred attached, since as fuel only kerosene and nitric acid should serve. Therefore it was necessary that the liquids from in each case two fuel tubes in the nozzles meet together, so that an explosive mixture develops. The ignition took place via a chemical catalyst; the withdrawal of the fuel was caused not by pumps, as with conventional rockets usual, but by electronically steered valve flaps, which should open and close the fuel chambers which are at positive pressure computer-controlled. When heat protection served a coating inside the fuel tubes, which used itself by the burn-up, but the starting phase to get over should.

Controvers

Over the OTRAG project only few are well-known; a startingable rocket (those of altogether 4800 fuel pipes to consist should) was however never manufactured. First test starts with individual drive components took place among other things in Zaire and Libya; over successes the reports contradict themselves. Press reports from the early 80's according to the project stood in the contradiction to the US-American and European plans for an orbital transport system on the basis of multi-level rockets; other reports state however the fact that international distrust prevailed in relation to a possible atomic rearmament of Germany and inserted the neighboring states of Libya for this reason contradiction. The minister of foreign affairs at that time Hans Dietrich Genscher is to have finally stopped the project on pressure of France, in order from Germany CO-FINANCED "European rocket" Ariane competition to make not unnecessarily to avoid and in order political entangling.