Goddard’s gift to mankind

On July 7, 1914, Robert Goddard obtained a patent – the first of 214 – for a “Rocket Apparatus”. A pioneer in rocketry, Goddard was certainly ahead of his time. Join A.S.Ganesh as he takes you through Goddard’s life.

July 07, 2018 01:58 am | Updated November 10, 2021 12:19 pm IST

A teacher, scientist and rocket pioneer, Goddard’s works helped us even after his time.

A teacher, scientist and rocket pioneer, Goddard’s works helped us even after his time.

What are some of the things that you know about rockets? You know for a start that these are man-made structures. You might probably visualise a tall thin cylindrical vehicle with a conical top. You will also be aware that these are capable of carrying a payload, be it supplies or even human beings, to space. And you will, for certain, possess the knowledge that these enabled humans to make it to the moon.

If you, by chance, possess a time machine and decide to use it to take you 100 years back, then be cautious as to what you reveal to people of that time about rockets. If you aren’t and voice some of the things that we have just discussed, chances are that you will be taken to be a lunatic. For that was how Robert Goddard, now celebrated as a pioneer in rocketry, was treated.

Born in 1882 as the only child of a salesman, bookkeeper and a machine-shop owner, Goddard was interested in science from a young age. His interest in space was evoked, not by any textbook, but by

H.G. Wells’ science-fiction novel “War of the Worlds”.

Goddard’s tree of knowledge

While still in his teens, he had a thought that would go on to inspire his life’s work. Climbing up a cherry tree to prune its branches, Goddard got down, a changed man.

In his autobiography, Goddard wrote: "I imagined how wonderful it would be to make some device which had even the possibility of ascending to Mars. I was a different boy when I descended the tree from when I ascended, for existence at last seemed very purposive."

From the basement of a building

Goddard enrolled as a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and began experimenting on his own. In 1907, he experimented on a rocket powered by gunpowder from the basement of the Physics building. The clouds of smoke that ensued guaranteed that anyone and everyone came to know what transpired. The faculty, however, started taking an interest in Goddard’s work, rather than expel him.

By 1914, Goddard had received two patents – both titled “Rocket Apparatus” – to show for his work. His first, which he received on July 7, 1914, described the multi-stage rocket concept for a two- or three-stage rocket using solid fuel. A week later, he received his second – for a rocket using liquid fuel.

It was in 1914 that Goddard began teaching in Clark University, the same place where he had attained his master’s and doctorate in Physics after graduation. It was here that his thoughts on space flight began to take shape and crystallise.

Negative news

Having predominantly undertaken his experiments at his own expense, Goddard received funding from the Smithsonian Institute in 1917 to continue his research. Smithsonian published his original paper, “A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes,” a couple of years later.

While it primarily focussed on Goddard’s mathematical theories for rocket propulsion and methods to send recording instruments to new heights, it also included a small section that discussed the possibility of escaping Earth’s gravity and even sending payloads to the moon. The press got wind of this and the publicity-shy Goddard found himself in the news, most of which was negative. The New York Times published an editorial that made it clear that they considered the theories a joke and made Goddard look like a fool.

Many firsts

Despite such setbacks, Goddard had many firsts to his credit. Among other things, he was the first to prove that thrust and propulsion can be achieved in vacuum and the first to mathematically explore the ratios of energy and thrust per weight of various fuels. In 1926, Goddard fired the world’s first liquid-fuelled rocket at his aunt’s farm. Averaging about 60 miles per hour, the rocket, which lasted only two seconds, reached an altitude of 41 feet.

Goddard moved to New Mexico in the 1930s and spent the bulk of his time, till his death in 1945, working on rockets. While he did find staunch advocates in the form of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh and businessman-philanthropist Harry F. Guggenheim, his research achieved little attention. He finished with 214 patents, many of which were filed by his wife after his death.

Even though Goddard failed to see his dream of a rocket flying into space come true, his works were the foundation of rocket research. For when the space age was ushered in finally in the second half of the 20th century, it was impossible for the Americans to neglect Goddard’s gift – the work of a lifetime.

Really is rocket science

Goddard, along with Russia’s Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Germany’s Hermann Oberth, are now considered the pioneer space trio. Working individually without knowledge of one another’s research, these three laid the building blocks for rocket science.

And oh! In case you are still thinking about The New York Times 1920 editorial and how wrong they had got it, you’ll be happy to read this. They did regret their error and they even published a correction – after the launch of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission… to the moon!

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