One of the unusual aircraft that Germany fielded during World War II was the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket interceptor. It made use of the new Walther rocket engines that had been developed in Germany and combined it with a unique “Nurflügel” (flying wing) airframe designed by Alexander Lippisch that had its roots in the glider tradition of post WWI Germany. The aircraft is of interest to the engineering community, but became a failure from a military point of view.
Against the backdrop of the Me-163 aircraft on display at the Flying Heritage Collection, in his presentation Dr. Dieter M. Zube will discuss the technical features of the aircraft and propulsion system as well as its military use. He will also address other rocket fighters of the era like the Bachem Natter, and the legacy of these aircraft.
Dr. Dieter M. Zube grew up in Germany and graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering from the Universität Stuttgart in Southwest Germany. Since 1997, he is a senior technical staff member working on spacecraft propulsion technology for Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond, Wash., and teaches spacecraft propulsion classes at the University of Washington. In his spare time he flies as the chief pilot for a skydive center in Snohomish, Wash., and volunteers as a museum docent for the Seattle Museum of Flight, where he gives regular museum tours and special presentations on spaceflight topics and German aerospace history.
I wish Dr. Dieter M. Zube would give a similar talk here in the Washington, D.C. area – Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum (NASM) Udvar-Hazy center!