Page "Hermann Oberth" Paragraph 4

In 1922, Oberth's proposed doctoral dissertation on rocket science was rejected as " utopian ".

He next had his 92-page work published privately in June 1923 as the somewhat controversial book, Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen (" By Rocket into Planetary Space ").

By 1929, Oberth had expanded this work to a 429-page book titled Wege zur Raumschiffahrt (" Ways to Spaceflight ").

Oberth commented later that he made the deliberate choice not to write another doctoral dissertation.

He wrote, " I refrained from writing another one, thinking to myself: Never mind, I will prove that I am able to become a greater scientist than some of you, even without the title of Doctor.

" Oberth criticized the German system of education, saying " Our educational system is like an automobile which has strong rear lights, brightly illuminating the past.

But looking forward, things are barely discernible.

" Hermann Oberth was finally awarded his doctorate in physics with the same rocketry paper that he had written before, by the University, Cluj, Romania, under professor Augustin Maior, on May 23, 1923.