Friedrich Schmiedl

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Friedrich Schmiedl (born May 14, 1902 in Schwertberg , Upper Austria ; † September 11, 1994 in Graz ) was an Austrian rocket pioneer and inventor of rocket mail .

His life

Schmiedl began to be interested in rockets in his youth. During the First World War he designed his first rocket. In 1921 he began the study of chemistry at the Technical University of Graz . During this time he continued his rocket tests. The young student was supported by his professors and financially by his grandfather.

After completing his studies, Schmiedl settled in the Styrian capital Graz as a freelance technical researcher . During this time he made countless experiments with rockets he had built. According to the sources, he always had his goal in mind , the peaceful exploration of space . In 1928 he even attempted to launch rockets from stratospheric balloons to save fuel. The expected successes did not materialize here, but his experiments provided important insights into the exploration of the earth's atmosphere .

On February 2, 1931, Schmiedl launched the world's first mail rocket on the Grazer Schöckl and transported around 100 letters to the nearby town of St. Radegund . Further successful postal rocket launches , including from Hochtrötsch near Semriach , followed in the next few months. The young inventor and designer even planned to open his own rocket mail line Laibach - Graz - Basel . As a result, he achieved a high level of awareness , especially among philatelists . He also developed a weather rocket that could record meteorological data in clouds. In other experiments he equipped the rockets with cameras to take aerial photographs of landscapes. The missiles were equipped with a remote-controlled steering rod and had a parachute that should allow a soft landing.

In 1934 and 1935, two legal changes in Austria brought his attempts to an abrupt end. To finance his experiments, Schmiedl had franked the mail items he was carrying with his own "tokens", which were the main source of income for his experiments. This procedure was prevented by the Austrian Post by a regulation. In addition, the possession of explosives was banned and made a death penalty, which forced Schmiedl to destroy his fuel supplies .

Several states showed great military interest in Friedrich Schmiedl's work . The Japanese government offered him a position in their research program in 1927, but as a staunch pacifist he declined. This attitude became a problem for Friedrich Schmiedl, especially during the German occupation of Austria. The researcher therefore destroyed his previous documents and refused any cooperation with the German Army. In 1943 he was drafted and assigned to the fortress pioneer staff in the Crimea .

After the Second World War there were further offers to Friedrich Schmiedl, for example to participate in the American rocket development, but he turned them all down. Later he dealt with various boat propulsion systems (rocket propulsion, lamella propulsion) before he entered the state service in 1955.

The rocket pioneer died on September 11, 1994 at the age of 92 in Graz. He is buried in the St. Leonhard Cemetery.

Awards

In addition to other awards, Friedrich Schmiedl is the holder of the Ring of Honor of the State of Styria and the Great Gold Medal of Honor of the State of Styria , as well as the Hermann Oberth Medal in 1971 , which he received from Wernher von Braun .

bibliography

  • Bruno Besser: Friedrich Schmiedl - rocket pioneer and trailblazer in space research . in: Karl Acham (ed.): Natural sciences, medicine and technology from Graz. Böhlau Verlag, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 2007 ISBN 978-3-205-77485-3 pp. 231–242
  • Karl Trobas: rockets, rocket mail, mail rockets. The Austrian rocket pioneer Friedrich Schmiedl . Edited by Werner Emig. RM-Druck-und-Verlag, Graz 1992, ISBN 3-85375-008-7 (volume 1 of the biography, without volume count).
  • Karl Trobas: rockets, rocket mail, mail rockets . Volume 2: Friedrich Schmiedl, a rocket pioneer from Graz . Published by the Ing. Friedrich Schmiedl Foundation in Graz. Manumedia-Verlag Schnider, Graz 1998, ISBN 3-900993-89-0 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schmiedl, Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian rocket pioneer, inventor of rocket mail
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Schwertberg , Upper Austria
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1994
Place of death Graz