In the period from the late nineteenth century to the Second World War, at least four pioneers of the missile and astronautics to remember: Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky in Russia, Robert H. Goddard, U.S., Hermann Oberth in Germany, Robert Esnault-Pelterie, France.

Tsiolkovsky was born in September 1857. Mathematician and physicist, in 1898 first proposed the use of liquid fuels to replace the solid hata time employees, advancing the idea that the rockets could be powered by hydrogen and liquefied oxygen or liquid oxygen and fuel (just as in today).

In his groundbreaking study, Tsiolkovsky also outlined the basic outlines of the law by which the final velocity of the rocket depends on the fuel reserves and rate of expulsion of combustion gases. His writings were published in 1923, but in those years Russia was shaken by very serious economic, social and political, so his great research fell into the general indifference of scientists and laymen.

Only after the October Revolution Tsiolkovsky stimuli found by the authorities to continue their studies and experiments until 1935, when he died. Also in 1930 having made a model of liquid-fuel rocket, the Russian scientist was able to develop the calculations for launching a satellite in Earth orbit.

Also beyond the ocean, in the U.S., another pioneer of the missile did not find much welcome to their studies:  

Goddard. Born in 1882 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Goddard was a professor at Clark University until 1920, dealt with solid fuel rockets. From that year, the scientist turned to liquid fuel rockets, and in the historic day of 16 March 1926, launched the first rocket-powered vehicle powered by oxygen and burning oil. 

In this first experiment followed by many others and Goddard invented the system for automatic stabilization of the missile, using gyroscopes and slides mounted at the exit of the discharge nozzles. Goddard with its missiles failed to reach the height of 2,750 m. and a top speed of 880 km / hour. Their work, as mentioned, did not elicit much enthusiasm among their contemporaries and only after the onset of World War II saw the practical application of the principles that had been proposed many years ago. Goddard died in August 1945.

Hermann Oberth, born in Hermannstadt in 1894, pushed forward the scientific and technological research in the missile. In 1917 he proposed to the German war minister rocket with liquid fuel use long-range weapon of war, but his idea is not heard. From his studies came the first true rocket, the V2 which, after the war, would be born of Russian and American spacecraft.

A contemporary of these three pioneers was the Frenchman Robert Esnault-Pelterie. Born in Paris in 1881, graduated in science, with its serious studies established a scientific basis for considering aviation as a fact of transition for astronautics. In 1930 he published "space," in which all knowledge gathered so far in this field. Pelterie died in December 1957. The dreams of the astronauts who had advocated in his plays were beginning to become reality shortly before, on 4 October 1957, the Russians had launched into orbit Sputnik, the first artificial satellite.