OTRAG | Know Your Rocket

Today, we look at the one and only OTRAG, my favorite of all rocket designs, and why it didn’t necessarily work. I highly recommend reading up on Lutz Kayser, who is the second closest person to being a James Bond side villain after Gerald Bull.

I keep forgetting to mention that my twitter is (at) PantslessMadman.

References/Images/Videos

1. https://www.bernd-leitenberger.de/otrag1.shtml
2. https://www.bernd-leitenberger.de/otrag2.shtml
3. “Fly Rocket Fly”. Dir. Oliver Schwehm. 2018
4. Pirard, T. “German Rockets in Africa”. History of Rocketry and Astronautics. American Astronomical Society. IAA History Symposia Vol. 16. 2003.
5. Ruppe, H.O., et al. “Economy of low-technology modular launch vehicles” Acta Astronautica Vol. 6, pp. 1727-1743 Pergamon Press Ltd., 1979.
6. Cohn, S. “What’s Going Up in Zaire? OTRAG’s Rocket Base in Shaba”. Munger Africana Library Notes. California Institute of Technology, 1979.
7. http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets_1/West_Europe/OTRAG/Description/Frame.htm
8. http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Swefirst/Soundingrocketdetails/OTRAG/OTRAGEsrange.htm
9. http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets_1/West_Europe/LRBA-Vulcain/Description/Frame.htm
10. http://www.astronautix.com/o/otrag.html
11. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jun/13/naked-island-idyll-eccentric-couple-recall-life-rockets-dictators
12. http://www.astronautix.com/k/kayser.html
13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349669204_OTRAG_-_A_Low_Cost_Rocket
14. https://www.kinostar.com/filmverleih/fly-rocket-fly/
15. Gadhafi photo: Stevan Kragujević and Avax News
16. Europa Footage: ESA
17. Saturn I Footage: NASA
18. Aerojet Rocketdyne
19. Interorbital Systems and Parabolic Arc
20. Blue Origin’s BE-3 Page
21. Microcosm Inc.

Music Used

Music from https://filmmusic.io:

"Egmont Overture" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Motherlode by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4083-motherlode
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Timeline
00:00 Introduction
01:26 Europa IIIE
04:23 OTRAG
05:07 Design
08:50 Orbital Rockets
11:48 Zaire
14:31 Libya
16:33 Esrange
17:14 Would OTRAG Work?
17:26 Politically
18:33 Technically
22:23 Conceptually
23:27 Conclusion

Видео OTRAG | Know Your Rocket канала Pressure-Fed Astronaut