This was a seminal work that inspired most of the original rocket pioneers. Verne used real engineering analysis to arrive at the design of his cannon and manned moon projectible. As a result, at the time of the Apollo 8 and 11 missions it was noted that Verne had made a number of correct predictions about the actual missions....

Robert Esnault-Pelterie delivers a groundbreaking lecture on space travel at the Societe Astronomique in Paris. It would be published in book form a year later. One audience member is Jean-Claude Barre, a military engineer who is inspired to begin development of rockets in France.

Robert Esnault-Peltrie and banker Andre Hirsch establish an International Astronautics Prize of 5000 Francs to be awarded annually for the best scientific, theoretical or experimental work in rocketry and space travel. The prize is discontinued after its value is wiped out in the financial crisis of the early 1930's.

Robert Esnault-Pelterie and Jean-Claude Barre begins experiments iwth liquid propellant rocket engines under funding from the Department of War. Only three weeks later Esnault-Pelterie loses the fingers of his left hand in an explosion in the laboratory. Nevertheless he and Barre persevere.

Barre completed a comprehensive report on the military potential of rocketry. He sketeched out ballistic missiles with 1000 km range, powered by liquid oxygen/gasoline engines. Armor-piercing rockets could reach 2000 m/s and defeat any tank armor. Anti-aircraft rockets would intercept aircraft in half the time. Rocket-boosted bombs would destroy enemey emplacements. Air-augmented rockets could reach even higher range and efficiencies.

Barre's report worked its way through the wartime bureaucracy, finally reaching the Minister of State for War in Vichy France. It is immediately classived top secret, and Barre is given 300,000 francs to start development of a liquid propellant rocket. In order to keep the work from the notice of the occupying Germans, it is officially for development of automotive gas generators.

The engine runs for 5 seconds before exploding, producing a thrust of 719 kgf. A second test the following day produces 650 kgf for only four seconds before exploding. Thermal transfer from the engine to the missile structure is found to be the cause, and changes are made.

A third of the test material for the Algerian flight tests had been unloaded in Oran, and the team and the rest of the material were ready to embark at Marseilles. Then news comes of the Allied landings in North Africa. The flight tests were immediately called off, and the team hid all materials in Algeria and France. At the end of 1942, the Germans occupy Vichy France and all further work on the project is supended.

Launched from Toulon, France. The pad was damaged, requiring substantial repairs. The source of the rocket's problem is finally found to be burn-through and loss of a portion of the inner wall of the combustion chamber, which blocked the nozzle exit. Ironically the last EA-1941 is ground run for full duration in the summer of 1946 without incident. However plans to develop it further as a sounding rocket are abandoned.

Weeks of delays due to problems with getting liquid oxygen to the remote test site have delayed Barre's entry in the fly-off against the Veronique. The first Eole broke up after 7 seconds of flight, a failure attributed to tracer flares fitted to the fins.

VLF wave propagation studies. Investigation of the properties of the ionized layers of the atmosphere by observation of the propagation of the properties of very low frequency waves in the ionosphere. First registered by the United States in A/AC.105/INF.125. Orbit given there was 99 .9 min, 749 x 753 km x 75.9 deg, with note: France provided the payload for 1965-101A.