Karel J. Bossart (1904-1975) designer of America's first ICBM

Part 1

Fig. 1: K. Bossart at 55 (1959)

Karel Jan Bossart was born in Antwerp on February 9, 1904 from Ludovicus Bossart and Carolina Tyck.

After Bossart had graduated as civil mining engineer in 1925 at the Free University in Brussels (VUB), he won a scholarship from the Belgian-American Education Foundation to continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in Boston. He chose to specialize in aircraft structures and obtained his Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1927.

He returned to Belgium to accomplish his military service and was briefly employed by the Technical Air Service (STAé, Service Technique de l’Aeronautique) of the Ministry of Defense in St. Genesius-Rode. From 1963 on, this service was called the Von Karman Institute after one of its renowned chairmen.

Models Rockets, also called micro-rockets, are small rockets mainly build from paperboard. Thanks to special engines (based on a composite propellant) they can be launched. They return to 'earth' due to a parachute mechanism (or simular), so they can be relaunched. Only the motor can be used once and needs to be replaced for each launch. Just fold your parachute again and you are ready for another flight.