Staats Credit - Via Harald Lutz

Personal: Male. Born in Bremen, Bremen, Germany.

Dr-Ing. h.c. August Friedrich Staats was born in Bremen, where he studied electronic technology and began working in the field. At age 21 he received his first patent, for an electro-acoustical remote control. He ended up in Peenemuende during the war, developing radio control, guidance, and telemetry systems under Dr. E-A Steinhoff. After the war he decided to remain in Germany, becoming the lead engineer for the United Acetylene Factory in Hannover. However as soon as the allies removed the prohibition on German aerospace research, he co-founded the German Society for Rocket Technology ('Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Raketentechnik' - DAFRA) on 21 September 1952. During his long term as President of the Society, it went through two name changes (German Rocket Society - Deutsche Raketengesellschaft - DRG, then - Hermann-Oberth-Gesellschaft - HOG). More importantly, the twelve founding members grew to 1300 in 14 countries by 1963 and conducted pioneering sounding rocket experiments at Cuxhaven. Staats was the Founder and the Chief Editor of the magazine Astronautik and founded and led a series of International Spaceflight Congresses in Salzburg. In 1990 he finally retired to Vice-Presidency of the HOG, which was merged into the current Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal - Oberth eV (DGLR) in 1993. Among numerous honours in his lifetime he received the Gold Medal of Salzburg, the German State Service Cross First Class, an honorary doctorate from the University of Barcelona, and the Wernher von Braun Medal of the DGLR.