Das Mondauto.

Düsseldorf, Econ-Verlag, 1959. 8vo. 99,+ (7) pp. Paperback. Minor wear to top of spine and front cover, otherwise a well-preserved copy. First edition. Hermann Oberth’s (1894-1989) wildly eccentric proposal for a lunar vehicle, first described in his book ”Menschen im Weltraum” (1954). The vehicle, or moon car, consisted of a spherical compartment for the crew, attached to a single telescopic leg standing on a catepillar track unit, all, including a gyroscope needed to keep the car moving in a vertical position, powered by electricity. If the car approached a canyon or crevasse that could not be crossed on ground, the telescopic leg could be retracted and then forcefully expanded again with the use of compressed air, causing the car to jump forward up to 125 meters above ground and thereby clearing the obstacle. Needless to say, Oberth’s idea was not found practical in any sense, and the lunar vehicles that eventually were developed became much more conventional in their design.