Robert H. Goddard

Father of Modern Rocketry

by Eric Begnaud

Section 1

Robert Hutchings Goddard was born on October 5^th, 1882, in Worcester Massachusetts. Even as a child, he had an instinctive feel for all things pyrotechnic. He was interested in the powder that fueled firecrackers and sticks of TNT. He was the son of Nahum Danford Goddard and Fannie Louise (Hoyt) Goddard. He married Esther Christine (Kisk) Goddard on June 21^st, 1924. They did not have any children. Esther played an important roll in documenting his research by filming and photographing his work.

Section 2

Goddard graduated from South High School in Worcester in 1904 and earned his undergraduate degree four years later. He preferred to study physics and math. He finished his master's degree in June 1910 and completed his doctorate in June 1912.

On the afternoon of October 19^th, 1889, Goddard climbed a cherry tree and began to cut off the dead limbs. He imagined making a device that had even the possibility of rising to Mars. He was a different boy when he came down from the tree "for existence at last seemed very purposive."

Section 3

Two of Goddard's famous quotes were "it has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the hope of today, and the reality of tomorrow" and "every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace."

Goddard knew that Newton's Third Law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) was true in or out of the atmosphere, but the New York Times believed otherwise. They printed that Goddard "lacked the knowedge [given] out daily in high schools." He proved them wrong with an actual test.

Section 4

Goddard is credited with a total of 214 patents, 131 of which were filed after his death. He launched the world's first liquid-fuel rocket on March 16^th, 1926, in Auburn, Massachusetts. He began launching rockets in Roswell, New Mexico because he wanted "good outdoor working weather the year round, and good visibility on every score." He also wanted lots of space, "where rockets could rise, or crash, or even explode without wear and tear on neighbor's nerves." New Mexico had plenty of all three.

Section 5

Goddard attempted to launch a total of 106 rockets, of which 48 were in Roswell, New Mexico. 31 of the New Mexico flights lifted off. Goddard's last rocket launch was on May 8^th, 1941. After that he instead worked on rocket-assisted takeoff units for World War 2 aircraft. He died on August 10^th, 1945, at the age of 63.

Goddard was also first to:

• invent the prototype of the bazooka;

• have a liquid-fuel rocket lift its own weight; and

• launch a liquid-fuel rocket that traveled faster than the speed of sound.

Conclusion

Without Robert H. Goddard, we would not know as much about the earth and the moon. A lot of his work led to earth-orbiting satellites and interplanetary exploration. His devices are still used today in modern rockets, 61 years after his death.

The End

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