Very few people have been able to leave their mark on the field of rocketry

as well as Robert Goddard. One reason for this is the fact that serious study of

rockets has only occurred in the last couple of centuries. Another reason is that

Goddard was a genius and a dreamer. He made major breakthroughs in rocketry

that helped advance rocket science. His theories, papers, and experiments led the

way to some very important discoveries and inventions. Goddard’s ability to dream

in a time when his ideas were thought of as silly fantasy allowed him to be one of

the first few to bring the use of rockets more feasible. The fact that people in his

time thought that sending a rocket to the moon was something for a science fiction

book is also a reason Goddard chose to work alone later in life. The American

space program would not be were it is today if it had not been for Goddard’s

inventions. He had a passion for rocketry. He loved making things fly.

Robert Hutchingson Goddard was born on October 5, 1882 in Worcester,

Massachusetts. He then moved with his family to Boston where he went to several

different schools. He attended Mount Pleasant, Hugh O’Brien, and English High

Schools while his family was there. Then in 1898, his family moved back to

Worcester. From 1901 through 1904 he attended South High School in Worcester.

His interests in space began as a child. While in an old cherry tree pruning

branches, the young Goddard began daydreaming about "ascending to Mars"

(Internet, Source #11). This is why he began read science fiction by the likes of Jules Vern and H.G. Wells. He often dreamed of going to the moon (28,Lampton). He carried this dream on throughout his life. Goddard graduated from Worcester Polytech Institute in 1908. After his graduation he became a professor there. While he did his graduate work at Clark University, he began working on static tests with small solid-fueled rockets at Worcester Tech. Goddard received his MA from Clark in 1910 and went on to get his Ph.D. in 1911. He was a research fellow at the

prestigious school of Princeton in 1912 and 1913. In 1914, he joined the faculty at

Clark University as a professor of physics, and in 1919, he became a full professor

there. On June 21, 1924 he married Esther Christine Kisk. During the course of his

life, he wrote papers and developed technologies for space flight but unfortunately,

Goddard died on August 10, 1945 in Baltimore from throat cancer. He was buried

at Hope cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was never able to see his dream

come into reality; he never was able to see the space age.

By 1912, Robert Goddard had developed a detailed mathematical theory of

rocket propulsion. In 1915, he proved that rocket engines could work in the

vacuum of space (Internet Site, Source #10). In 1919, Goddard wrote a paper titled

"A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes" which the Smithsonian Institution

published in January of 1920. In this paper, he mainly spoke about using rockets to

launch scientific instruments to study the upper atmosphere. Goddard asserted that scientific investigation in many areas including the density, chemical composition and the temperature of the atmosphere, the nature of the aurora, the alpha, beta, and gamma particles that radiate from the sun, and the ultraviolet spectrum could be achieved by rocket propulsion (28, Burrows). The paper also showed that the rocket would not be carried to high and that a parachute would bring the scientific instruments almost back to the same position it was fired. Because of this costs would be low (29, Burrows). In the last section of his paper, Goddard depicted how a rocket could be sent to the moon and splash red flash powder over the surface of the moon to show the achieving the destination. A variety of newspapers made fun of him for this last section and nicknamed him the "Moon Man". The New York Times responded to the section with an editorial titled "A Severe Strain on Credulity". The editorial stated that Goddard "seems to lack the knoledge ladled out daily in high schools". The unnamed editorialist believed that rockets would not be able to move in outer space because their thrust pushed against air. The Times retracted the article later in 1969, on the day that Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon in Apollo 11 (28, Lampton). "Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it" Goddard had once said (Internet, Source #11). Goddard himself believed that the moon aspect of his paper had overblown while other portions with practical elements had been played down (29, Burrows). In 1920, Popular Science published an article dramatizing the statement about sending a rocket to the moon in Goddard’s paper.

In 1924, Goddard wrote an article in Popular Science correcting misconceptions that rockets propel themselves by pushing against air. He pointed out what really happened was recoil from the combustion of gas ejects rearward. He showed that rockets would actually work better in the vacuum of space because air particles hinder the ejections of gas (163-165, Heyn). The developments of a pressure tank combustion chamber as well as the development of gyroscopes to stabilize the rockets were described in his second Smithsonian paper, "Liquid-Propellant Rocket Development". It was published in March 1936 (30, Burrows). His mass publicity is probably the reason that Goddard preferred to work alone and avoid publicity through the rest of his career (29, Lampton).

On March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard, his wife Esther Goddard, and a couple

of assistants took a small rocket and its six-foot high A-frame tower to a farm near

Auburn, Massachusetts. His wife was there to take notes and prepare motion

pictures of the test they were about to do (29, Burrows). A mixture of gasoline and

liquid oxygen powered the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. The rocket’s engine

was about a foot long and was lighted by a blowtorch (65, Heyn). This momentous

first flight lasted 2 _ seconds. It flew 220 feet high over a distance of 184 feet. The

world’s first liquid-fueled rocket landed in a cabbage patch after its flight (30,

Burrows). It had taken him five years to complete the rocket. In July of 1929,

Goddard launched the first instrument-carrying rocket. It held a barometer, a thermometer, and a small camera. Goddard then received grants from Daniel Guggenheim and the Carnegie Foundation which were largely arranged by Charles Lindbergh. Lindbergh had heard about Goddard through a 1929 news article about one of Goddard’s outdoor tests (30, Burrows). Now with additional funds, Goddard moved his experiments from Massachusetts to a large, remote ranch outside of Roswell, New Mexico in 1930. He was now able to conduct tests year-round because of the weather. He began to build rockets that were ten to twenty-two feet long (165, Heyn). On December 30, 1930, Goddard used a pressure tank to force gasoline and liquid oxygen into a combustion chamber where they were ignited to project an eleven foot long rocket which weighed 33 _ pounds to a height of 2000 feet (30, Burrows). Later, Goddard launched a rocket controlled by a gyroscope to an altitude of 4800 feet. When it reached that altitude, it took on a horizontal flight pattern in response to the steering mechanism. It reached speeds of 550 miles per hour before crashing into the earth (12, Breuer). In time, these monster rockets soared to heights of 8000 and 9000 feet and by the mid 1930’s the rockets were flying at speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour (29, Lampton). On March 8, 1935, Goddard launched the first rocket ever to have gone faster than the speed of sound (700 miles per hour). Those huge rockets were heard over eight miles away (165, Heyn). All in all, there were 56 flight tests, 17 of which reached over 1000 feet in altitude. When the United States entered World War I, Goddard experimented with rockets for the army (28, Lampton). While working for them, he developed solid-fueled rockets that were to be fired from handheld or tripod mounted fire tube (I.S., Source #10). These were the basis for the modern day bazooka. When German rocket scientists were brought to the U.S. later, they were amazed to learn that Robert Goddard had not been used more, after all it was his ideas that they based their rockets on. After the war, he received grant money from the Smithsonian Institution to continue his research (28, Lampton). During World War II, Goddard was again recruited for his expertise in rocketry but this time it was for the U.S. Navy. He was hired to develop rocket-assisted takeoff of carrier planes and variable thrust liquid-fueled rocket motors. He was the Director of Research for the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department from 1942 to 1945 (I.S., Source #10). For the last two years of his life he worked as a consulting engineer for the Curtiss-Wright Corp. who were aircraft manufacturers. During his lifetime, Robert Goddard held 214 patents. Some of which were sophisticated nozzles for releasing the hot gasses that propelled the rockets and elaborate systems of pipes and chambers for transporting fuel from one part of the rocket to another (29, Lampton). He also patented gyroscopes, which helped stabilize and control the rockets, but they also stabilized artificial satellites as well (30, Burrows).

It is too bad that about three-quarters of these patents were awarded after Goddard died. A couple of the reasons for this was Goddard’s own privacy and the far greater recognition of German rocketry. Robert Goddard had many accomplishments during his life. In return, he received many awards and much recognition for his deeds. On June 2, 1945, he received and honorary Doctor of Science degree from Clark University. After his death, when the U.S. was getting ready to send astronauts to space, the government paid Goddard’s estate $1 million for the use of his patents and prior infringement (29, Lampton). This was then the largest government patent settlement on record. During the Eisenhower administration, congress allowed NASA to build a new research center, which was to be completely dedicated to space exploration. The center was named, in honor of Robert Goddard, the Goddard Space Flight Center which is located in Maryland. His wife received a Congressional Medal in 1961 for Goddard’s achievements. Other medals and awards he received after his death include the Langled Medal, 1960; the Guggenheim Medal, 1964; National Space Hall of Fame Award,1966;the Aviation Hall of Fame,1966; and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Award,1979. In 1965, March 26 was declared National Goddard Day to recognize the launching of the first liquid-propelled rocket. Robert Goddard’s autobiography and the American flag were taken on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, human-kinds first lunar landing.

There is almost no doubt that Robert Goddard was one of the most

influential people in the history of rocketry. His genius and love for tinkering let

him do what he wanted, and rocketry was that thing. His contributions to us in the

present day have brought us together as a world with satellites and international

combinations of astronauts. It is sad that Goddard never was able to see the first

space rockets take off and that he was never able to know that not only did a rocket make it to the moon, but that it had people on it. Even so, he believed it would

happen. He once said that, "The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the

reality of tomorrow" (269, Collins). He knew that one day, people would stop

taking rocketry as a joke and would start taking it seriously.
 
 

Breuer, William B. Race to the Moon: America’s Duel with the Soviets. Praeger:

Westport. 1993

Talked about Goddard’s use of gyroscopes

Burrows, William E. Exploring Space: Voyages in the Solar System and Beyond.

Random House: New York. 1990

Went into great detail about Goddard’s first paper. Talked about Goddard’s

move to New Mexico and of his experiments there.

Collins, Michael. Lift Off: The Story of America’s Adventure in Space. Grove

Press: New York. 1988

Had a good quote of Goddard

Heyn, Ernest V. A Century of Wonders: 100 Years of Popular Science. Doubleday

& Company, inc: New York. 1972