Friedrich Schmiedl

Friedrich Schmiedl (born 1902 in Schwertberg, Upper Austria; died 1994) was an Austrian rocket pioneer who built and flew solid propellant rockets in the 1920s and 1930s. Educated in civil engineering and later a student at the University of Graz, he began developing and testing rockets in 1921 and first tested designs at Schöckl near Graz in 1924, including photographic rockets meant to map large areas from altitude. In 1928 he attempted instrumented rockets lofted by stratospheric balloons, anticipating the later rockoon concept. He perfected a parachute recovery system and on 2 February 1931 flew the first of his post rockets, carrying 100 letters from Schöckl to Sankt Radegund, followed by a regular rocket mail service until March 1933. Austrian law ended rocket mail in 1934 and banned private rocket work in 1935. He destroyed his work during the Second World War rather than see it used militarily and declined an offer to work in the United States.