Fritz von Opel

Fritz Adam Hermann von Opel, before 1918 Opel (4 May 1899, Rüsselsheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse - 8 April 1971), was the only child of Wilhelm von Opel and a grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel company. He is remembered mostly for his spectacular demonstrations of rocket propulsion that earned him the nickname "Rocket Fritz".

Opel was born in Rüsselsheim and educated at the technical university of Darmstadt. After graduation, he was made director of testing for the Opel company and also put in charge of publicity. In the 1920s, he became interested in using rockets in publicity stunts for the company and sought advice from Max Valier of the newly formed Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR - "Spaceflight Society") and Friedrich Sander, a pyrotechnics manufacturer from Bremerhaven.

On 15 March 1928 Opel tested his first rocket-powered car, the RAK.1, and achieved a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph) in it, proving the feasibility of the concept of rocket propulsion. Less than two months later, he reached a speed of 230 km/h (143 mph) in the RAK.2, driven by 24 solid-fuel rockets.