#675-679 Goddard's Rockets

 Fun Fact #675

“It is difficult to say…”

From an early age, Robert H. Goddard dreamed of exploring the Earth’s atmosphere and possibly even space, but his first 2 rocket patents (1914) were mocked by the larger scientific community. This led to Goddard having to self-fund most of his research, culminating in the book: A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes which simplified most of his research as well as the hopes that it could be used to reach space. Once again however he was mocked by the scientific community, this time so broadly that even the New York Times posted an article mocking Goddard’s ideas, citing the most common argument at the time in which Rockets needed oxygen to function and air to push against meaning they would never work in a vacuum like space. 42 years later – and after the success of Apollo 11– The New york times quietly published a correction (in smaller font than average) mentioning the previous 1920 article and stating "Further investigation and experimentation have confirmed the findings of Isaac Newton in the 17th Century, and it is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum as well as in an atmosphere. The Times regrets the error.”

Goddard did eventually get a state of the art lab in Roswell New Mexico where he continued his experiments until his death in August 1945. (The Roswell Incident occurred in 1947 and thus is not tied to Goddard, although it is theorized to be a coverup for an experiment into rocketry the US Government was trying to keep secret from The Soviets. NOT Aliens) 

“It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” Robert H. Goddard.