Robert Goddard

Robert Goddard Biography

By: Alexander Connolly

March 10, 2012­­­­­­­­­­

Just remember - when you think all is lost, the future remains"

-Robert H. Goddard

Introduction:

Robert Goddard was born on the fifth of October, in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1882. When he was young he became fascinated with the idea of going to the moon. He was determined to create an authentic rocket. His story is about seeking knowledge and the perseverance to achieve his goal.

Although Robert Goddard didn't go to the moon, he was the first person to launch a liquid fueled rocket that traveled faster than the speed of sound. This achievement made him successful and known to this day.

Biography:

Robert Goddard was born on the fifth of October 1882 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the child of a bookkeeper, salesman, and machine-shop owner. Since his father was a skilled mechanic, as a boy Robert learned a lot about mechanics. He had a well-mannered childhood, and when he was young he felt the excitement of the Post Civil War era, which made him open to new possibilities. His brother died in infancy which made his parents more protective of him. He was also thin and frail as a boy and he was frequently ill. Because of his illness and his parents' protectiveness, he missed a lot school so he fell years behind in education.

Even though he missed so much school, he was committed to education and loved to learn. He earned his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic in Massachusetts. , and studied mechanics and physics for 10 years. After being hired as a physics instructor at Worcester, Massachusetts he began graduate studies at nearby Clark University and received a doctorate from Clark in 1911. He then became a research instructor in physics at Princeton University in New Jersey. After Princeton, he returned to Clark University in 1934 as a professor of physics.

In addition to all of his work at the university he still was dedicated to studying and making rockets.

He started experimenting in his moms yard and fired his first rocket in 1926

Section Two - Invention:

When Goddard was young he became fascinated with the idea of going to the moon, and was curious about how everything worked and he was later inspired by H.G. Wells, when he read one of his books.

Even when he was as young as 2 or 3 he was so interested in engines going back in forth in freight yards he could stay quiet for hours looking at them. And at 4 and 5 he did experiments with static electricity and batteries. He was so curious that one day he took the zinc rods from a battery jar, then shuffled on a sidewalk and jumped off a low fence hoping it would make him jump higher. He stopped because he sort of believed his mom after she told him, "someday it might work and then you'll go sailing off and not be able to come back." He also experimented with everything that had to do with kites and magnifying glasses. He continued experimenting all thru his teens. At the age of 17 he read the book The War of The Worlds he was fascinated by how the aliens got to earth in some sort of spaceship. He also read the book The First Men in the Moon, (by H.G. Wells) and they had gotten to the moon by using a secret gravity neutralizing material.

Based on what he read, Robert thought, "if the human mind could conceive of such things, couldn't it figure out a way to do it to them?" This thought started his fascination with rockets.

In his late years of High School he got a small basement laboratory and he started doing experiments with 'rockets' that were ignited by gunpowder which basically made them fireworks. Throughout college he started creating and inventing. By the time he graduated he knew he wanted to dedicate his time to solving the challenges of space travel. He kept many notebooks and experimented more and more

He launched the world's first liquid fueled rocket on a farm in Auburn Massachusetts on the16th of March 1926 It went 41 feet in altitude at about 60 MPH for only about 2½ seconds. He then went to New Mexico and started firing series of rockets starting with the "A" series the first rocket: A-1 then A-2 and so on and so on. The "A" series exceed a mile in altitude then he fires the "L" series. The rocket: L13 exceeds 8,000 ft in altitude which was his best attempt flight in altitude. Then the "P" series, After P-36 jams in to the tower he stops doing the "attempt flights".

One of his rockets went 7.2 miles in altitude, going faster than the speed of sound which had passed his goal, but he didn't stop there. He started developing the rockets for the US army which they used to devastate London during WWI but fortunately the war ended before he had enough time to perfect the outcome of his rockets. His highest run went 8,000 ft. in altitude. By 1948 (a few years after his death) the US had made a second stage rocket (which he invented) which went an altitude of 244 miles, this is significant because he had invented the second stage rocket, which they used and it went 244 miles.

Q1. In what ways was his life remarkable?

At first he didn't get credit for his inventions, in fact he was ridiculed by Newspapers, but at the end, he was more famous than Thomas Edison. He met many people and invented many things. Without him none of our planes or space vehicles would work today.

Robert Goddard is best known for his liquid fueled rocket which is powered by LOX. which he has a total 240 patents on. In 1916 the U.S. government, began to support financially Goddard's work. Although he liked to work alone and was secretive, his inventions came to the attention Admiral Archibald H. Sunderland Chief of the Artillery Coast Military Corps (CS) asked him about the possibility of developing Rocket powered drones as anti-aircraft targets.

He received more financial support for one project then any other project then any other scientist before WWII. He also enjoyed the support of influential people like Daniel and Harry Guggenheim and Charles A. Lindbergh.

He actually devised the methods that ended up taking man to the moon.

Q3. In what way was his life admirable?

His life was also admirable in many ways; he persevered throughout his life to realize his dream of launching a rocket, he had stayed focused in his work through several illnesses. She also had a positive attitude, learning from every experiment and overcoming physical challenges throughout his life.

He had never gave up and worked on perfecting his rocket for fifteen years. He consistently kept journals and notes and tested all different elements that would be necessary to succeed in rocket making and overcame challenges.

At one point he became severely ill and was initially given two weeks to live, but he was so caught on in his work, that he had forgotten all about his illnesses and later recovered. And when his experiments 'didn't work' he didn't consider them failures but, valuable negative information. He constantly met challenges such as illnesses, or setbacks with his invention but he worked around them and moved forward. He was extremely intelligent and was perhaps more famous in his day then Einstein or Edison. He stopped at many colleges throughout the US and shared his knowledge with them.

The two most important lessons in shaping the way Robert Goddard lived would be never give up and always want to learn more.

Never Give Up- He worked on perfecting his prototype and constantly met challenges which he overcame for fifteen years, while making and firing rockets in NM. He had made many different inventions such as the: Multiple stage rocket, Liquid Fueled Rocket, First Hand-Held Bazooka which he offered to be used in world war one but was declined and even just LOX (Liquefied oxygen.) for rockets, which we also use in planes today.

In 1914 he had been severely sick and was given innately two weeks to live and that didn't stop him, he worked harder and was so caught on in his work so much, he had completely forgot about his sickness, and fully recovered not too long after.

AND: Always learn more- He would read anything about rockets, physics and mechanics. When he was young he had always been curious and he learned you could create static electricity by shuffling your feet, how engines worked and much more. Since he didn't get the classes he needed when he was young he then wanted to learn more in High School and throughout college. He became a physics instructor at Clark University and a professor in physics at there too. He had studied for ten years on physics and mechanics.

Never give up, and follow your dreams are the two most important lessons I or any young person could learn from the way Robert Goddard lived. He had never gave up throughout his life such as in 1913 he got extremely ill and only had had and was told to have two weeks to live but that didn't stop him he didn't take "no" for an answer he worked more, studied more and worked full time hours inventing, and he was so interested in what he was doing and inventing that he forgot all about his sickness and he fully recovered. He then got his bachelor's degree in physics at Clark University.

He had followed his dreams all the way throughout his life time and never gave up. One morning when he was a child, Robert went out back and climbed a cherry tree and day dreamt about going to Mars in a rocket. He wondered if he could make this possible, his parents say they remembered him shooting in, and running to his room without saying "good morning" they knew something was going on and they wondered. By his senior year at College he had begun experimenting with rockets in a small basement laboratory at the college. At that time the only rockets available were fired with powder (basically gunpowder) ignited by a flame, so they were basically Fireworks (FPK's were the only rockets at the time). He had experimented more and more and eventually the school ran out of FPK's and he got bored and started to study in physics and that's when he got his Bachelor's degree. Robert Goddard then started to make rockets and fire them. He then met Archibald H. Sunderland Chief of the Artillery Land Corps, and then started to develop rockets for the army. WWI had started around and He had started developing rockets for the US military some

Conclusion:

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

● Baker, Sarah, Nagel, Rob and Saari, Peggy. "Robert H. Goddard." Detroit: 2005 Gale U.X.L®, P79-86.

● Pearce, Lynn. Encyclopedia of American IndustriesVOL.2: Service & Non-Manufacturing Industries. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005 p1613-1621.

● Space Sciences. Ed. Dasch, Pat. Vol. 3: Human in Space. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. P162-166.

● ROCKET MAN ROBERT H. GODDARD. AND THE BIRTH OF THE SPACE AGE. Clary, David. Copyright © 2003 by DAVID A. CLARY. All rights reserved no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information address: Hyperion 77 W. 66th Street, New York, New York 100236298-1st Edition. Robert H. Goddard and the birth of the space age / by David A. Clary. 1st ed. p, cm. (Includes bibliographical references in index) ISBN: 0-7868-6817-1. First edition.

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."

Robert Hutchings Goddard, Ph.D. (October 5, 1882 - August 10, 1945), was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He was a professor and scientist, and pioneer in the field of controlled, liquid-fueled rocketry. He launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926. From 1926 to 1941, he and his team launched rockets that attained speeds of up to 885 km/h (550 mph). Though his work in the field was revolutionary, he was sometimes ridiculed for his theories. He received little public support during his lifetime, but would eventually come to be called one of the fathers of modern rocketry.

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Robert Goddard (Bob Goddard),

Robert Goddard was born on the tenth of October, in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1882. When he was young he became fascinated in the idea of going to the moon and he was determined to create some type of real rocket. His story is about seeking knowledge and perseverance.

He didn't go to the moon, but he was the first person to launch a liquid fueled rocket faster than the speed of sound. He launched his first rocket in a rocket tube on a hill on a farm in Alban Massachusetts's, on the 17th of October his grandmother died, on the 19th of January 1920 his mother died and his father died on September 16th 1928. On the 16th of march 1927 his rocket lifts its own weight for the first time. On August 10th 1945 Robert Goddard died. He is best known for his Liquid fueled rocket. He started messing around with tools and pieces in his mom's yard. But he is known for his liquid fueled rocket, his best run had gone 8000 ft high at 800 mph.

Biography:

Robert Goddard was born on the 5th of October 1882 in Worcester Massachusetts. He was the child of a bookkeeper, salesman, and machine-shop owner; he had a genteel upbringing, and when he was young he felt the excitement that happened after the Civil War. Thin and frail as a boy Robert was frequently ill and missed school so much that he had fell years behind in education. His brother had died in infancy.

Section Two - Invention:

When he was young he became fascinated in the idea of going to the moon. In the book The First Men in the Moon, (by H.G. Wells) who had gotten there by using a secret gravity neutralizing material. Robert thought: "If the human mind could conceive of such things couldn't it figure out a way to do it to them." He wondered. The thought was intriguing to him he had wondered if he could actually make a rocket to take him to the moon. This thought started his fascination with rockets.

He launched his first liquid fueled rocket from a launching tube on a hill in a farm in Auburn Massachusetts (the16th of March 1926) It went 41 feet in altitude at about 60 MPH for only 2 seconds. He then started firing the "A" series which exceed a mile in altitude then he fires the "L" series. L13 exceeds 8,000 ft in altitude. Then the "P" series, after P-36 jams in to the tower he stops doing the "attempt flights".

Robert Goddard is best known for his liquid fueled rocket which is powered by LOX (Liquefied Oxygen). His father was a skilled mechanic. As a boy Robert had learned a lot in mechanics. He was then inspired by H.G. Wells. And as an adult he became a professor of physics at Clark University, and studied mechanics and physics for 10 years. He started experimenting in his moms yard and fired his first rocket 1925.One of his runs went 7,500 ft in altitude, faster than the speed of sound. He developed the rocket for the US army which they used it to bomb London during WWI Fortunately the war ended before he had enough time to perfect the outcome of his rockets. By 1948 the US had made a second stage rocket which had gone an altitude of 244 miles. His best run had gone 8,000 ft. in altitude while another 7,500 ft. in altitude going faster then the speed of sound. Most of his rockets were failures around the time he was mocked by his friends.

Question 1: In what ways was the life remarkable?

His life was remarkable because he overcame many illnesses and struggles to make his dream come true. The Major General Archibald H. Sunderland, chief of the Coast Artillery Corps, had asked Goddard about the possibility of developing rocket powered drone planes as antiaircraft targets in the 1920s! And just building and inventing the liquid fueled rocket made Goddard famous and known to this day. Without him we wouldn't have had the rocket we have this day.

As a child he had been very thin and frail as a boy he was frequently ill and missed school so often that he had fell years behind in education.

He had famous people like Charles Lindberg who helped him and encouraged him. At first, he didn't get credit for his inventions, but at the end, he was more famous than Thomas Edison.

Question 3: In what ways was the life admirable?

His life was admirable in many ways he persevered throughout his life to realize his dream of launching a rocket he also had a positive attitude, learning from every experiment and overcoming physical challenges throughout his life, including being held back in school due to illnesses.

For one thing he had never gave up and worked on perfecting his rocket for fifteen years. He consistently kept journals and tested all different elements that would be necessary to succeed in rocket making and over came challenges.

And when his experiments 'didn't work' he hadn't consider them failures he considered them valuable negative information, and constantly met challenges such as overcoming illnesses and setbacks and inventions such as the parachute coming out late or as a child being held back a couple of years because of his severe illnesses. And he worked against them and did what he had to do to get past them. He was a professor in physics at Clark University and is an instructor in physics. He was extremely intelligent and was perhaps more famous in his day then Einstein or Edison. He had stopped at many colleges throughout the US and shared his knowledge with them.

Despite his challenges, he turned out to be one of the smartest people who ever lay foot on earth!

Question four: What human qualities were most influential in shaping the way this person lived?

The two or three most important lessons in shaping the way Robert Goddard lived would be:

Perseverance - He worked on perfecting his prototype and constantly met challenges which he overcame for fifteen years. He tried many different inventions even though he was very sick and he had a lot of experiments that didn't work.

Knowledge seeking- He would read anything about rockets, physics and mechanics. He became a professor in physics at Clark University and studied for 10 years on physics and mechanics. He earned his bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic. After being hired as a physics instructor at the college he began graduate studies at nearby Clark University he received a doctorate from Clark in 1911, then became a research instructor in physics at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey He then was promoted as assistant professor in 1915. He then became a full professor in 1934. He loved to learn.

Question 7: What are the two or three most important lessons that you or any other young person might learn from the way this person lived?

Never give up, and follow your dreams are the two most important lessons I or any young person could learn from the way Robert Goddard lived. He had never gave up throughout his life such as in 1913 he got extremely ill and only had had and was told to have two weeks to live but that didn't stop him he didn't take "no" for an answer he worked more, studied more and worked full time hours inventing, and he was so interested in what he was doing and inventing that he forgot all about his sickness and he fully recovered. He then got his bachelors degree in physics at Clark University.

He had followed his dreams all the way throughout his life time and never gave up. One morning when he was a child, Robert went out back and climbed a cherry tree and day dreamt about going to Mars in a rocket. He wondered if he could make this possible, his parents say they remembered him shooting in, and running to his room without saying "good morning" they knew something was going on and they wondered. By his senior year at College he had begun experimenting with rockets in a small basement laboratory at the college. At that time the only rockets available were fired with powder (basically gunpowder) ignited by a flame, so they were basically Fireworks (FPK's were the only rockets at the time). He had experimented more and more and eventually the school ran out of FPK's and he got bored and started to study in physics and that's when he got his Bachelor's degree. Robert Goddard then started to make rockets and fire them. He then met Archibald H. Sunderland Chief of the Artillery Land Corps, and then started to develop rockets for the army. WWI had started around and he had started developing rockets and went thru the "A" series and the "L" series L-13 had been his best run it had gone 9000 ft in altitude (275,641 CM) then the "M" series and then the "P" series and P-36 jams into the flight tower and that's the end of the 'attempt' flights.

Conclusion:

Robert Goddard is very important and famous for developing and creating the liquid fueled rocket that helped served as a base for modern rocketry and aviation. He died on August 10, 1945, of throat cancer. Many streets, buildings, and awards were named in his honor, perhaps the most significant is the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center, it was dedicated on March16, 1961, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the first flight of Goddard's liquid-propelled rocket. Nine years later Clark University had named its library after Goddard. Since 1958, the National Space Club in Washington, D.C. has awarded a Goddard Memorial trophy for achievements in missiles, rocketry, and space flight.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Baker, Sarah, Nagel, Rob and Saari, Peggy. "Robert H. Goddard." Detroit: 2005 Gale U.X.L®, P79-86.
• Pearce, Lynn. Encyclopedia of American Industries VOL.2: Service & Non-Manufacturing Industries. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005 p1613-1621.
• Space Sciences. Ed. Dasch, Pat. Vol. 3: Human in Space. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. P162-166.
• ROCKET MAN ROBERT H. GODDARD. AND THE BIRTH OF THE SPACE AGE. Clary, David. Copyright © 2003 by DAVID A. CLARY. All rights reserved no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information address: Hyperion 77 W. 66th Street, New York, New York 100236298-1st Edition. Robert H. Goddard and the birth of the space age / by David A. Clary. 1st ed. p, cm. (Includes bibliographical references in index) ISBN: 0-7868-6817-1. First edition.