The bizarre solar gun of Germany

Using a solar reflecting mirror is the idea of ​​developing a strange German weapon in World War II.

With his ambition to dominate the world, Hitler asked domestic scientists to propose ideas to develop weapons to dominate the battlefield. Some ideas laid the groundwork for the development of later weapons such as rockets, stealth aircraft, and supersonic airplanes. Others are somewhat bizarre and crazy to serve the heart of Nazi leaders.

Hermann Oberth used a giant mirror in space as a weapon.(Photo: Daily Mail)

According to the Huffington Post, in 1929, physicist Hermann Oberth (who was later considered the father of the German rocket industry) proposed the idea of ​​building a space station outside the earth's orbit. He also plans to launch a rocket that carries a giant mirror into orbit. Oberth said that the giant mirror would reflect sunlight to the dark parts of the earth.

Oberth's idea is to use a concave mirror with a diameter of 1.6 km to focus solar energy on a certain point on the earth. The cosmic mirror will be located at a height of about 35,000 from the ground. Oberth estimates the cost of the program is about 3 million Marks, construction period is about 15 years.

People will put the components of the cosmic mirror into orbit and then assemble the whole by a manned spacecraft. The program also plans to build a manned space station as a temporary living space for employees during the assembly of space mirrors. The station has a diameter of 9.1 meters for missiles to dock cargo and supplies. A hydroponic garden to supply oxygen to solar power stations and stations.

At first, Oberth's idea was to serve the purpose of peace, but when proposing the idea to Nazi authorities, Oberth suggested turning it into a bizarre weapon he called "a gun." Sun'.

The Nazis intended to use cosmic mirrors as the ultimate weapon to burn cities everywhere on earth.(Photo: Damninteresting)

Aviation historian David Myhra said: 'Oberth is a multi-personality, he is a peace lover but sometimes he is very aggressive. He once said, my cosmic mirror can also be used for military purposes. I can burn ships on the sea or direct mirrors to enemy military bases. I can also guide the example of big cities like London and New York and create big holes'.

Oberth described, his cosmic mirror is a 'supreme weapon' that allows attacks on every part of the world that the enemy can only watch. However, with the World War II technology ground, Oberth's idea was something too far away and impracticable.

After the end of World War II, a group of scientists at the research center in Hillersleben, Germany simulated Oberth's idea. They found that the giant mirror could concentrate the heat from the sun to boil water on the ocean or burn down cities.

Oberth's crazy mirror universe idea paved the way for the development of today's aerospace industry.(Photo: Daily Mail)

Although the idea of ​​developing Oberth's solar gun was bizarre, it set the stage for the development of the aerospace industry. ISS International Space Station is more or less influential from Oberth's space station idea. The boosters bring satellites into orbit or launch space probes originating from Oberth's V2 rocket design.

The solar gun did not become the ultimate weapon Oberth had imagined, but it started the US-Soviet space war. In the Cold War years, German-American scientist Wernher von Braun asked the US military to build a space weapon against the Soviet Union.

According to the Daily Mail, in 1999, Russia announced plans to build a cosmic mirror to reflect solar energy in the harsh winter on earth.