Reason. In the 1960 s. The United States and the soviet union were in boiled 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. You can put missiles our promise was not to go high tech take but to go low cost cost. Look forward to get us all togged was the 1st ever private space around and swim. Up to you on t. V. I heard they were going to launch a rocket to. The launch site would be somewhere in africa and thats when they came up with zaire. Almost ahmads we looked at the map which is where you are in iraq no. Because of the scale thats roughly you know i had this feeling that going to the jungle was somehow like opening the jewel to some a fantasy world out in the bush im all. For the idea of doing an israel year geographically made sense so turned out diplomatically there was a disaster. She would need more if you want to start a technically high risk enterprise what do you do. You go to a venture capitalist just bought an Angel Investor jewel. I dont really all go to Silicon Valley but walk over to visit if your Business Partners name is mobutu sese. And something is rotten. In certain crazy story. There was also a car that the program or truck was good for suffocation over the ideas of which cars are. The breed of the devilish but the old guy. Who was one of those guys are guys it was a lost cause. I never saw him there again. From. The string of it all started when i read these books that event of compound her of her own usually marked. As a schoolboy i wrote a letter to vanna found out asking him what he thought i should become a real an astronaut or a rocket engineer was already replied you want to write 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. Bacon drake island a tiny spot of 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 lute 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 Robinson Crusoe only a few centimeters above sea level his life began on almost exactly the opposite side of the globe. British drivers born in stuttgart and was 6 years old at the end of the war when as well as kids we used to enjoy running around and collecting old ammunition which will crack open the door and then sprinkle the black powder that was inside in stripes onto the ground which we then set on fire. Until it was very dangerous and our parents were unaware of the antics when thats how it was after the creek collected bomb fragments and i mean sure because im a 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 like that for british thats how i came to Study Aerospace Engineering at home. In postwar germany lets kaiser was a pioneer and almost all the former german space experts had long since left to work for the russians and the americans. As well as the self would it was a very exciting time because it was officially forbidden by the occupation statute to produce supersonic flow. Quickly found partners in crime and said are not from the safe to come in 1965 i arrived at the Technical University and got you know lots kaiser he had founded the a. G. R. Are a working group for rocketry and space white at the university of st got it. In the early years the rocket crazy students had to mainly improvise. Their 1st experiments took place here. A spot and for i looked up there was an old bunker the needed some stairs which a group of us built correctly 93 we put in the fuel tanks the pipes the measuring instruments to lie to and thats where we tested a small liquid propellant rocket engineers who safeguards our kids into effect to get tested. The more i didnt get big dish this was on the outskirts of the District Court suburb but country after a toy do unthinkable today it was right i residential area but we spent all our free time tables for free and what prompted. That skies there was adept at negotiating with the American Military also a chase they issued him a special permit for his officially for the big missile tests as a result of his group was among the 1st to succeed in building a functioning rocket engine off to the. Office. So mr cars are you and your colleagues other van a form of quarrels and we want to try and learn from the modern problems that are inherent in Rocket Technology in space research. Its have a german stock and they didnt trust a slightly damaged but what did they do it was in the l. Though as it was called back then the europeans worked 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 on france aka. The then economy minister who posed the question to opus nish why there wasnt a much cheaper method of going into space. The harm uncertainties 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 cockeye to. The students proposal was radically simple. Namely he didnt do it at all i know of course and you see we bundled together a large number of small rocket engines switch could be produced very cheaply by serial production by using such existing mass produced parts the production costs would be reduced still further. Well joy and so we built an injection that had a volkswagen the windshield wiper motor as its electric drive in that earned us the reputation to a how to they fly rockets with windshield wiper motor off the freaking arc but they were only used as a driving mechanism putting the valves closing the valves opening halfway closing exactly what a windshield wiper motor does perfectly us was unsure and that was our philosophy not high tech but low cost and just one Scofield Sophie 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. With one of the engines in the trunk of the car so. It was put on the test bench there and then it was tested it tasted. Like economical and inventive the rockets made in slavey it was taking shape. It would just mean its good if this lady answered anything able to make cars and refrigerators. The Test Facilities at one place house in the hyatt on the beam testing the rocket engines sits 963. Feeding and. We carried out about 2000 combustion tests with this low cost and any decent teeth that do if you would miss all of them a choice it took us 2 years to realize that if instead of a gentle and liquid hydrogen is of stuff we use nitric acid which has such a high density board he could put a lot more few movie into the ride so if you know another kid to want to bring come. Thats kinds or into his great but not the only people doing tests in them parts house and rocket pounce from all a video rep for everything to be tried out here. Kaisers engines began to arouse interest among the competition. In the i thought shortened the shift 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 Ariane Program as congo end skegness on. The lead story. In the ne 970 s. The German Government decided to join the European Space agency isa. Me to could tie it all up for showing them that we were notified by your research is all well and good and see if we can no longer finance or if we also dont want to finance it further kind got speeches and that was the end of our end up thats. Come down. And us cuts and that meant to think its either you file away years of work and say ok its over im sorry but we didnt want to do that so lets kaiser certainly didnt lose kaiser strongarming. Destructors or been as he said so if we cant get any subsidies will do privately revived and we founded a Public Limited company i know shaft or truck. To appear as credible as possible to potential donors kinds are trying to win over the man who had helped to get the americans to the moon than a 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 as mr kerr the restroom would work with from brown at peter monday and later on with fear us army and the nasa had been the director of the Kennedy Space center and he was an old rocket man. The deepest great cover up to date b. S. Wheres the tie kaiser carries the model of the rocket mr davies with lots of experience from the Moon Landing Program for months on the program and was to kaiser to give the presentation isnt your course set up as a right of company took in more than 160000000. 00 mox within a year kinds his rocket became an investment object for the wealthy ending at the nickname dentists rocket. Sized bins you see schmidt this meant that if you invest 1000000 you could write off 2600000 of losses for tax purposes its for loose stood up striving. 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 to neutralize that time we had fully developed the technology and eventually tested everything the next the next stage was flight testing which we couldnt do in germany for insurance reasons as the population density is too hot horses to. The needy founded finally found alone scientists one of the most bizarre chapters in space history. In myanmar and saying feeling sick sick capas 1974 was the year of the historic boxing if known as the rumble in the jungle between muhammad ali and George Foreman when George Foreman bat i know there are men out it one of the people who organized this fight was i hear up in york with the president about an internationally active businessman with bet by chance on the airplane flights to nigeria to get into 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 about country and he said what about so youre suggesting that so youre with. The Central African state of zaire todays democratic republic of congo that gained independence from belgium in 1960. S. Political leader to say say see those who came to power in 1965 had a weakness for german technology. Over couldnt prove he sent for home we take a plane and fly around and see if you can find something suitable for a lifestyle and i want to have the 1st observation satellites of more surveillance of my own to see. It will often come down. 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 or would be attractive in a long range and assuring 0 money probably talk loudest. Mobutu was extremely corrupt. Book but he was supported at that time by the french the americans felt as john and generally by the europeans the persian. Gulf because neighboring angola was supported by pact countries missiles to be part of the sure vith rock song for one bush the contract provided for under limited use of 100000 square kilometers of territory similar to the area 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 304050 employees. The contract signed in 1975 was no new terminal until 2025 the site is located in the south as they have between angola and tanzania it was sparsely populated but there were regular skirmishes at the borders between the enemy states the and the real harm done i knew who. We found a high plateau in the middle of these 100000 square kilometer just went numb to what followed was the little river next to a dense jungle and cleaned up that was the highlands where the climate similar to switzerlands. Was in a group a chain saw a rope down from the helicopter and quickly cleared the 20 to 30 meter diameter area for the helicopter to land on the plots to get back on and bit by bit weaker. The plateau will not hold off. 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 they can do them on his companys staving had already realized numerous projects since i. Have been i thought they were all weird i wasnt the 1st i think as the mark they were 78 people it was someone really the end of the world where no ones ever been before and thats where they went i looked at them until theyre not exactly sure you cope with time you learn a lot through experience you know. And i thought what on earth is this not doing in the bush if your sister was one of the bush. Victims or the man succeeded in building a 4 kilometer long runway through the rough terrain on the plateau soon afterwards the runway would be listed on International Flight shots on to the name louvel at port. For the move from gemini to zaire outranked boat to akra and subsequently found it it 7 and line under the congolese flag. And by boat from from the British Air Force we painted some fire engine red so we could find them in the bar showed. Her how. I had my own course is saved we set up a big open temple where the team assembled the rockets and since only by. I describe that it was basically a balloon like a beer into surgery etc we called the tent the bavarian embassy. Was. Initially the 40 strong team setting tents for the 1st few months while a village was built using local materials. The showcase of the complex was the restaurant with a total of 80 seats. Thanks. I am now god one and a half years after the start of the working people we were able to carry out our 1st trial run was we bought a scaffold from the local water so we ran to the rocket because ultimately. But from there was this amazing feeling of optimism and you couldnt help but think of the for this is going to succeed it was was still small for banks. And space flight was not what the track had in mind the aim was to launch satellites into space with its rockets. The 1st test took it was 6 meters no. Attention was tiny as the team made the final bill preparation was way. Way to swaddle that was may 17th 1977 a really exciting day for all of us which ones i live in. Freedom i was a bit of a film and fought on that i know has a lot i used to hustle blog the camera that the astronauts took with them to the moon. Or in the middle of the staff all to cover of course you can actually im going to order order and then came the countdown to 0. From 10 to 0. You. Know. Ah. I. Dont like the underdog going to the blue skies as i hear there was a ton of play loud with attempts at this bit when top 10 kilometers easy a kilometer ago the successful 1st stop 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 was taken with 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 particular film at the wrong speed gave the impression of a giant threatening rocket rather than a safe useful commercial rocket. That wake the americans and soviets during the cold war they were paying close attention to he lists building rockets. Sitting there with frequent reports that the russians had launched spy satellites to observe the old trunk signs from the bounce. However the west is on the plateau i went to where it stands. We were pretty off the beaten track and unaware of what was going on elsewhere there wasnt much wrong with the world up there over law each detail of the conflict and. Above them simple words for my life i used to make my own sausages lies lies and white drop words real sausage. I also made a fine salami cocktail of sausage for my they were very popular and called all. Much must be shop said good on getting out of all of them i was my worst may also mean a kind of blood sausage and a liver sausage well the night was also my restaurant would be on the out of my mind a. Bit out of the often enough. To see it will be if i also tried making a game salami with annele and wild boar with there was a lot of feed. From each was for me it was your adventure. A real adventure. Of obama be there for 2 or 3 days then hed 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 im going to lose the main shareholder and chairman of the Supervisory Board of trying to keep the aim of this company is to transport satellites into orbit pay introspective off who wants the satellites launched vehicle for what purpose that they need who is also it wasnt just mobutu kaiser said he would large spy satellites for anybody and that was a serious concern to both the u. S. And soviet military 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 are. 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 primary contributors