Following the association with Rocket Fritz, Valier went on to design his own rocket cars (pictured on top is the Valier RAK.6). In 1930, at the age of 35, he was

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experimenting with an alcohol-fueled rocket engine when it exploded on his test bench. The shrapnel severed his aorta, killing him instantly.

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But Valier’s work lived on. A young 24-year-old apprentice took his engine, improved on it, and finished it in secrecy. His name was Arthur Rudolph, and in 1963—after a detour with the rest of the members of VfR—he used Valier's technology as the manager of the Saturn V project—the rocket that put America on the Moon.

Where astronauts drove moon buggies instead of rocket cars.

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Photo Credit: Deutsches Bundesarchiv, Oldenbourg Verlagsgruppe, Opel, NASA (1, 2)