In the 1960 s. The United States and the soviet union were in boils in a race into space. It was a contest involving huge amounts of material and personnel. Nasa alone employed thousands of people with the goal of putting an american on the moon. But it wasnt just the americans and the russians who were reaching for the stars a Small Company from got consisting of half a dozen engineers wanted to go toe to toe with the superpowers. To put missiles our promise was not to go high tech but to go low cost cost. Look bloated get your shorts hog was the 1st ever private space and room inside the. Chapel hill n. C. Later and they were going to launch a rocket into orbit and that the launch site would be somewhere in africa and thats when they came up with zaire. And almost all odds we looked at the map which is where your anywhere off know. How to discuss us traffic will i had this reeling that going to the jungle was somehow like opening the door to some offenses back to the bush on. The idea of doing it until youre geographically made sense as it turned out diplomatically there was a disaster. She wasnt sure if you want to start a technically high risk enterprise what you do if you stick you go to a venture capitalist or just find an angel investor. Imagine here youll go to Silicon Valley look over to business your Business Partners name is mobutu. Then something is wrong. Insert crazy story. There was also apparent that the program or trial was the personification over the ideas of whats kaiser. Established but thought it was the road. It was guys or guys it was the boss. I never saw him there again. The string of it all started when i read these books that event of compound had written over or usually marked. As a schoolboy i wrote a letter to vanna. Asking him what he thought i should become a real an astronaut or a rocket engineer was or he replied was also you want to join and heavy to be an astronaut we need light people this weekend so i took the easy route and anyway the probability of becoming an astronaut is very remote something. They can trick i live in the tiny specific land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between hawaii and papua new guinea. With his rocket venture behind him this secluded spot is where looked still kaiser ended up with his wife susanna the man who spent much of his career reaching for the stars is now spending his old age like a bump in sin crusoe only a few centimeters above sea level is night began on almost exactly the opposite side of the globe british dr was born in stuttgart and was 6 years old at the end of the war as well as kids we used to enjoy running around and around collecting old ammunition which will crack open the door and then sprinkle the black powder that was inside in stripes on to the ground which we then set on fire store in that it was very dangerous and our parents were unaware of our antics well thats how it was after the war collected bomb fragments and i mean a short good as well thats what we played with there were no other toys obstinate. When i was still at school i founded and led a group of students through british thats how i came to Study Aerospace Engineering in the group home. In postwar germany lets kaiser was a pioneer almost all the film i gem. Space experts had long since left to work for the russians and the americans. As well in the 04 it was a very exciting time because it was officially from britain by the occupation statute to produce supersonic from so coy. Kaiser quickly found partners in crime guns that are not from the sixtys coming in 1965 i arrived at the Technical University in st got in got snow lots kaiser. Founded the a. G. R. Arc minds a working group in rocketry and space white with the university of chicago to stuttgart. In the early years the rocket crazy students had to mainly improvise and their 1st experiments took place here. On a spot and for i looked up there was an old bunker that needed some stared which a group of us built correctly 9 quickly we put in the fuel tanks of pipes and measuring instruments that i took and thats where we tested a small liquid propellant rocket engineer through safeguards rocket into effect to get tested. And. In what i think could be dished this was on the outskirts of the District Court suburb but country offered do unspeakable today it was right near residential areas but we spent all our free time tables for free and what prompted. That sky is it was adept at negotiating with the American Military also it seems they issued him a special permit for his officially forbid new missile tests as a result of his group was among the 1st to succeed in the building functioning rocket engines off to the all. Off. Because you saw mr crys or you and your colleagues at the van a fun pollens of tomorrow and we want to try and learn from the modern problems that are inherent in Rocket Technology in space research. Its have a journal they did with your space life what did they do that was in the l. Though as it was called back then the europeans Work Together to build their own rockets and it didnt work they exploded or whatever is an expert the it there was no space flight test captain was kind. Of the takeoff of a european rocket 2 years ago in australia with the launch vehicle built by britain france and germany was a failure in france i thought. Then economy minister posed the question. Over snitched where there wasnt a much cheaper method of going into space. And so movies are stewardship of alban as a group of students we applied for this research werent and were subsequently given a Development Contract worth 3 and a half 1000000 german marks of talk to. The students proposal was radically simple. Namely he didnt get it all i know of course and you see we bundled together a large number of small rocket engine this switch could be produced very cheaply by serial production. By using such existing mass produced parts the production costs would be reduced still further. And so we built an injection that had a volkswagen inch of life right motor a 6 electric drive in that earned the reputation to a how to they fly rockets with windshield wiper motor r. C. For leaking arc but they were only used as a driving mechanism opening the valves closing the valves opening halfway closing exactly what a windshield wiper motor does perfectly this was unsure and that was our philosophy not high tech but low cost us about once a philosophy type take. Some of the low cost. In addition to the half dozen engineers in the project qualified technicians will all say recruited us in 1st for almost 2 years we drive up the highway to lab with one of the engines in the trunk of the car as. It was put on the test bench there and then it was tested get tested. Based economical and inventive the rockets may display the a list taking shape. It would just mean its just the swabian said any been able to make cars and refrigerator its. The Test Facilities at one place house in the hyatt on the being testing a rocket engines since 963. Didnt. We carried out about 2000 combustion tests with this low cost and any reason to believe that the issue for you missed all of them a choice it took us 2 years to realize that if instead of a liquid and fox in general and liquid hydrogen switched off we use nitric acid which has such a high density or he could put a lot more few of you into the rider so for an orchid to want to bring on. Lets kinds or into his group cannot be any people doing tests in one parts house and rocket pounds from all over europe where arriving to be tried out here. Kinds is engines began to arouse interest among the competition. These are for we already had a cooperation with another Aerospace Enterprise in france and they were always curious about what we were doing here is here good as they were concerned that it might be used to compete with the arian program its called grow and ski this hour. He needs to work. In the n. T. 970 s. The German Government decided to join the European Space agency isa. Meets could tie up its oil before strong and then we were notified your research is all well and good and see if we can no longer finance or if we also dont want to finance a further crime got speeches and that was the end of our indepth food. And thats whats in that menu to think its in feet either you find a way years of work and say ok its over im sorry but we didnt want to do that and lets cause the certainly didnt lose kaiser strongarming. Destructors all been as he said so if we cant get any subsidies to privacy revive to it and we founded a Public LimitedCompany Queen didnt i now authorize a shaft or truck. To appear as credible as possible to potential donors kinds or try to win over the man who had helped to get the americans to the moon you have an i phone pound was to become chairman of the Supervisory Board when he became so ill with Kidney Disease he said dr davis could do it just as well for mr kerr the restroom would work great from brown appear monday and later on live for us army and the nasa had been the director of the carrier space center and he was an old rocket man. Could keep a straight cover debuts whereas the top kaiser carries the model of the rocket mr debuts with lots of experience from the Moon Landing Program for months on the program and mr kaiser he gives the presentation present to your course set up as a rite of company took in more than 160000000. 00 mox within a year kind says rock it became an investment object for the wealthy ending it the nickname dentists rock it. Was sized when decision made this meant that if you invested 1000000. 00 you could write off 2600000. 00 of losses for tax purposes as follows stood up shrive. Good with the same single components the same tank modules the same engine modules we can build small medium and very large rockets and fulfill all specifications can legalize that time we have fully developed our technology and bench tested everything the next the next stage was flight testing which we couldnt do in germany for insurance reasons as well as the population density is too high horses to. The needy founded otoh i finally found a loot scientists one of the most bizarre chapters in space history. In myanmar and soon a few insects it has 974. It was the year of the historic boxing is known as the rumble in the jungle between muhammad ali and George Foreman when George Forman pat im not there may not that one of the people who organized this fight was i here up new york with a credit card and internationally active businessmen we met by chance on the airplane flights and i think didnt get to we started talking what do you do i organize boxing fights among other things what do you do. We build rockets but we dont have a launch site. And he said what about so youre visiting the site here with. The Central African state of todays democratic republic of congo as it gained independence from belgium in 1960. S. Political leader to say say say close you came to power in 1960 funny how do we kiss the german technology. To deliver good living through the center for whom you take a plane and fly around and see if you can find something suitable for lunch. And i want to have the 1st observation satellites of more surveillance of mine going to the civil war and come down to. The to the prestige value of having a space launch site in africa in his own country and the 1st one to launch satellites from africa would be attractive in a long range and assuring money probably talk loudest. Mobutu was extremely corrupt. Yalit book but he was supported at the time by the french the americans builders of john and generally by the europeans the persian. Gulf. Because neighboring angola was supported by not also impact country missiles that became part of the sharif. Rock song for one bush the. Provided for under limited use of 100000 square kilometers of territory similar to the area of the former g. D. R. Which had one 104000 square kilometers have you had 250000 corporate committed as this was a huge area which we could hardly manage with our 34050. 00 employees. The contract signed in 1975 was not determinable until 2025 the site was located in the south as between angola and tanzania it was sparsely populated but there were regular scam issues that the borders between the enemy states. The real harm done i knew a whole lot toy and we found a high plateau in the middle of these 100000 square kilometer just went numb to the outflow it was the river next to a dense jungle and kind of up that was the highlands with the climate similar to switzerlands. Trouble at all as i make more time group of chainsaw old sound from the helicopter and quickly cleared a 20 to 30 meter diameter area with a helicopter to level down the plots to get back on the sword and bit by bit we cleared the plateau now who knocked at the bottom of. The world in order to build the infrastructure in the middle of the jungle or truck teamed up with a Civil Engineer with a lot of experience in africa victim to them and his companys staving had already realized numerous projects in his eye. Make up the on fox 15 i thought they were all weird 1st thing as the mark they were 78 people it was someone really the end of the world when no ones ever seen before and thats where they went i looked at them until theyre not exactly whos making coke just. With time you learn a lot through experience you know. And i thought what on earth is this like doing in the bush if your sister asked for divorce no thanks. To live a man succeeded in building a 4 kilometer long runway through the rough terrain on the plateau and soon afterwards the runway would be listed on International Flight charts under the name louvel at port. For the move from gemini to zaire oh charter boat. And subsequently founded it 7. 00 and 9. 00 under the congolese flag. In the lifeboat from from the British Air Force of painted them fire engine red so we could find them in the barge was. On thanks i got my own course was saved or set up a big open temple where the team assembled the rockets and since im new ball i just why even though it was basically a balloon like a beer tent so if you have a turtle we call the tent the both there and jesse. Thanks was. Initially the 40 strong team setting tents for the 1st few months while the village was built using local materials. To showcase of the complex was the restaurant with a total of 80 seats thanks i was. Only one and a half years after the start of the work and we were able to carry out our 1st. Trial run was we built a scaffold from the local wood so we rode to the rocket to work it all still in. The film there was this amazing feeling of optimism and you couldnt help but think of the for this is going to succeed because those who came before the lamb. And space flight was not what the track had in mind the aim was to dont satellites into space with its rockets. The 1st test took it was 6 meters no. Attention was tiny as the team made the final little preparation as i. Think of the smallville that was may 17th 1977 a really exciting day for all of us which ones i did. It was from fish and feed him i was a bit of a film and photo on that i know has a lot i used to house a blog the camera that the astronauts took with them to the movie. Big notes or in the middle of the staff all took a course of going up to elation and then the other all of that and then came the countdown to 0. From 10 to 0 of no. Ah. I. Keep it under and up into the blue sky as i year. There was a ton of play loud with a tip that this be when top 10 kilometers easy a kilometer or the successful 1st start to coast consternation elsewhere the program was taken seriously. After these launch because they really had a rocket it didnt help that one particular clip i was taking was high speed film i saw that multiple times on american television. So i just familiar. Ignition and liftoff but this is not Cape Canaveral or a soviet launch pad the playing of that trick or a film at the wrong speed gave you impression of a giant threatening rocket rather than a safe useful commercial rocket. That weight the americans and soviets during the cold war they were paying close attention to who was building rockets. Sitting there were frequent reports that the russians had launched 2 spy satellites to observe the trunk sign from about. The web is on the planet a winner so aware of this. We were pretty off the beaten track and i know where what was going on elsewhere there wasnt much wrong with the world up there over the law each to the control room. Above them said love wish for my life i used to make my own sausages like im emotional ice and white drop words roll sausage. And also me to find salami cocktail and sausage for my they were very popular. Cock all. Much most this is offset good on getting among all of them i was i was more of a roast meat i also mean a kind of blood sausage and a liver sausage well the internet was also my restaurant indeed on the out of my mind and. Out of the op in the. Us you will be about also tried making again salami with and a lot of wild boar. There was a lot of feed. From the us for me it was your adventure. A real adventure. Of all of the there for 2 or 3 days then he fly away again be on the road for a week and then come back im. 43 years old one of the most colorful figures in the International Space industry among other things on the blues the main shareholder im chairman of the Supervisory Board of trying to keep the aim of this company is to transport satellites into. You know respect evolve who wants the satellites launched vehicle to want that that he who is also in it wasnt just mobutu kaiser said he would launch spy satellites for anybody and that was a serious concern to both the u. S. And soviet military causes progress they knew about each others progress they did not like the idea of other countries having the same pictures as they were getting because they were things that they couldnt hide from each other but they wanted to hide from the rest of the world. The french government as well wanted the Rocket Program shut down. They were the p