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Credit & Copyright: Courtesy NASA/Goddard
Space Flight Center
Explanation:
Robert H. Goddard, one
of the founding fathers of modern rocketry, was
born in Worcester Massachusetts in 1882.
As a 16 year old, Goddard read H.G. Wells' science fiction classic
"War Of The Worlds" and dreamed of space flight.
By 1926 he had designed, built, and flown
the
world's first liquid fuel rocket.
Launched
75 years ago today
from his aunt Effie's farm near
Auburn Massachusetts, the rocket, dubbed "Nell", rose to an
altitude of 41 feet in a flight that lasted about 2 1/2 seconds.
Pictured
here Goddard stands next to the 10 foot tall rocket.
To achieve a stable
flight
without the need for fins
the rocket's heavy
motor is located
at the top, fed by lines from
liquid oxygen and gasoline fuel tanks at the bottom.
During his career Goddard was ridiculed by the press
for suggesting that rockets could be flown to
the Moon, but he kept up his experiments supported in part by the
Smithsonian Institution and championed by
Charles
Lindbergh.
Widely recognized as a gifted experimenter and engineering genius, his
rockets
were many years ahead of their time.
He died in 1945 holding over 200 patents in rocket technology.
A liquid fuel rocket constructed on principles developed by Goddard
landed humans on the Moon in 1969.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: people - rocket - Robert Goddard - liquid fuel
Publications with words: people - rocket - Robert Goddard - liquid fuel
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