Portrait of Hermann Oberth Courtesy of NASA

Hermann Oberth was born in Transylvania, Romania. He was a physicist who lived between 1894-1989. At a young age, he read fantasy books about voyages to the moon, but became convinced that space travel was very possible.

Oberth studied rockets and wrote books on how they could be used to launch objects into space. He originated the idea of stages, which explained that once a fuel tank is empty, it should be dropped away so that its weight doesn't slow down the spaceship.

Portrait of Hermann Oberth Courtesy of NASA

Hermann Oberth, born in Transylvania, Romania, was a physicist who lived between 1894-1989. He became convinced that space travel was possible at an early age, inspired by a Jules Verne science fiction novel.

Oberth studied rockets and wrote books on how they could be used to launch objects into space. He originated the idea of stages, which explained that once a rocket's fuel is used up it should be dropped as dead weight, so as not to slow down the spaceship.

Oberth's work led to the German rocket program which developed the rockets used to attack London in the second World War.

Portrait of Hermann Oberth Courtesy of NASA

Hermann Oberth, born in Transylvania, Romania, was a physicist who lived between 1894-1989. He became convinced that space travel was possible at an early age, inspired by a Jules Verne science fiction novel.

Oberth studied rockets and his book, "A Rocket to Interplanetary Space", proved that they could be used to launch objects into space. He originated the idea of stages, which explained that once a rocket's fuel is expended it should be dropped as dead weight, so as not to slow down the spaceship.

Oberth's work led to the German rocket program which developed the V2 rockets used to attack London in the second World War. He was also a mentor of Wernher von Braun, who continued Oberth's study of rocketry.