At Boeing, Bill Rothschild was responsible for the strategic Planning, development and project management for the Boeing components of the space shuttle system and at times had access to US top secret information. I met at the NASA compound in Houston, Texas. In the interview, he talks about becoming a rocket scientist, about Felix Baumgartner's stratospheric jump - and about the two major accidents during the space shuttle program.
William J. Rothschild was born in 1949 in Steinburg, Bavaria. When he was two, his parents immigrated to the United States with him. He received his Physics degree from Pennsylvania State University and his Masters in Aero-Mechanical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He also attended the Defense System Management College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He worked for the Department of Defense and various space companies, was an officer in the American Air Force for 20 years and received several awards. At Boeing, Bill was a senior engineer and later director of Space Shuttle Research and Development. Most recently, he was director of engineering operations at Boeing. Since his retirement, he has worked as a consultant for NASA and the Air Force - and as a volunteer at the NASA Space Center in Houston, he shows children how to fly to the moon.
- Mr. Rothschild, how do you become a rocket scientist?
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- Was rocket building your childhood?
- Have you ever been in space?
- Is not it frustrating to build the missiles that others fly into?
- You are alluding to the two major accidents in the space shuttle program ...
- How was your role?
- What exactly went wrong?
- What was your biggest challenge?
- Today, tourists fly into space. What do you think of it?
- But is not it dangerous?
- And what do you think of Felix Baumgartner and his stratosphere jump?
- Do you think that the young engineers have learned today from their mistakes of that time?
- What is the "next big thing" in space, what is your vision of the future?
- Why?
- Why should humans fly into space when there are enough problems on earth?
- Do you have a tip for anyone who wants to make your dreams come true?
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Mr. Rothschild, how do you become a rocket scientist?
By studying subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, or engineering sciences, studying diligently, always examining the most extraordinary courses and looking for the most difficult subjects.
But actually it's nothing special. Background You: Rocket scientists only cook with water.
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Was rocket building your childhood?
Yes, I wanted to become a rocket scientist as a small boy and then I did everything I needed.
Have you ever been in space?
No.
Is not it frustrating to build the missiles that others fly into?
No, I had no interest in it: I knew what could go wrong. And many things went wrong. I just was not very brave.
You are alluding to the two major accidents in the space shuttle program ...
Yes, the Challenger disaster 1986 and the Columbia disaster 2003. We each lost 7 brave people.
How was your role?
I was at the Columbia accident in engineeringTeamwhich supported the commission of inquiry.
What exactly went wrong?
The Challenger accident could have been avoided if one had listened to the engineers, because it was just too cold that day. For by cold the sealing rings lost their elasticity in the lateral solid rockets, combustion gas flowed, which finally led to the breaking of the space shuttle shortly after the start.
At the Columbia, which broke into the earth's atmosphere, we came to the conclusion that we could not have done anything better, because the cause was a foam part, torn off at the start, which caused a hole in the heat shield, which eventually led to an overheating of the wing's interior led. That was not foreseen.
What was your biggest challenge?
The space shuttle to get back to fly after the Columbia disaster.
Today, tourists fly into space. What do you think of it?
That's a great one Idea. Unfortunately, it's still quite expensive.
But is not it dangerous?
Oh no, today's missile systems are clear safer than before. After all, we've been doing this for 56 years.
And what do you think of Felix Baumgartner and his stratosphere jump?
He can thank God he's still alive. Such stunts bring no profit for science, because research is not bravado, but consists of constant trying and testing. However, something like this generates media interest, which brings Money. An advantage anyway.
Do you think that the young engineers have learned today from their mistakes of that time?
Today they face completely different challenges than we did then. The Technology has developed rapidly, today everything is done in a completely different way than before and everything should be much more economical. It's not comparable at all.
What is the "next big thing" in space, what is your vision of the future?
I think my grandchildren will become Martians. I believe that we fly to Mars, that there is water there that we just have to find - and that we will colonize Mars and the Moon. Even if that does not happen very soon. That we, as planned, 2020 land on Mars, I think is illusory.
Why?
Because of the Financing. It's not that we don't have the scientific know-how, from a technical point of view we know how to do it. But there just isn't enough money that's being spent on Earth right now.
Why should humans fly into space when there are enough problems on earth?
On the one hand because of the scientific knowledge: all the microelectronics would not exist because they were developed by the space programs. Computers wouldn't exist either. You have to imagine: The computers with which we People sent to the moon only had 1 MB of memory.
The second reason is rather philosophical: people have always wanted to broaden their horizons and grow beyond themselves. This is simply human nature.
Do you have a tip for anyone who wants to make your dreams come true?
Yes: study the right thing, work hard and never accept a “no” answer. Just like we did then: President Kennedy announced in 1961 that the Americans would land on the moon.
That was unthinkable at the time and no one really knew how to do it. But we have made it easy and over the borders.
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