Robert Goddard (scientist)

Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was one of the pioneers of modern rocketry. Though his work in the field was revolutionary, he was often ridiculed for his theories, which were ahead of their time. He received little recognition during his own lifetime, but would eventually come to be called the "father of modern rocketry" for his life's work.

Later work and World War II

Eventually Goddard relocated to Roswell, New Mexico—long before the area became the center of the UFO craze—where he worked in near isolation for decades, and where a high school was later named after him. Though he brought his work in rocketry to the attention of the United States Army, he was rebuffed, as the Army largely failed to grasp the military application of rockets.

Related Topics:
Roswell, New Mexico - UFO - United States Army

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Ironically, it was Nazi Germany that took the most interest in his research. Wernher von Braun relied on Goddard's plans when he developed the V-2 rockets during World War II http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Goddard.html. Before 1939, German scientists would occasionally even contact Goddard directly with technical questions. In 1963, von Braun, reflecting on the history of rocketry, said of Goddard: "His rockets . . . may have been rather crude by present-day standards, but they blazed the trail and incorporated many features used in our most modern rockets and space vehicles" http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/recall.html.

Related Topics:
Nazi Germany - Wernher von Braun - V-2 - World War II - 1939

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After his offer to develop rockets for the Army was declined, Goddard temporarily gave up his preferred field to work on experimental aircraft for the U.S. Navy. After the war ended, Goddard was able to inspect captured German V-2s, many components of which he recognized. However, Goddard would not design any more rockets of his own. He learned he had throat cancer in 1945 and died that year on August 10, the day after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

Related Topics:
U.S. Navy - 1945 - August 10 - Atomic bomb - Nagasaki, Japan

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