H.Goddard

Goddard. Robert. H. is an American professor and inventor born in 1882, who is generally considered to be “Father of Rocketry” as he is “foremost among the first generation of rocket and space pioneers to credit with launching the world's first liquid-propellant rocket”, (World of Earth Science, December 1, 2006). Goddard developed the technique of liquid oxygen cooling the combustion chamber on its way from the fuel tank which is still in use in modern spacecraft. Goddard is also the man who proved the possibility of rocket working in vacuum based on Newton’s third law, as well as putting Tsiolkovsky’s theory of rocketry into practice. (Unknown, Wiki answers, ID2573934999, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_Robert_Goddard's_contribution_to_rocket_science) Goddard began to work on rocket development in early 1909 while studying physics and continued after becoming a professor. Goddard first experimented with a rocket powdered by gunpowder in the basement of the physics building when he was still a college student. He then continued his exploration in 1914 with 2 rockets designed, “one is two-stage powder rocket, followed by patents for a cartridge-loading rocket and a rocket that burned a mixture of gasoline and liquid nitrous oxide.”(Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present. Ed. Brigham Narins. Detroit: Gale Group, 2008. Gale Science in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2010) He then explored more on achieving higher rates of energy efficiency by using steel combustion chamber and a sleeker exhaust nozzle (Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present, 2008) In 1915, Goddard, as an assistant professor proved that Newton’s reaction principle worked in the vacuum mathematically, showing that rockets “put the reaction principle to maximum use by creating high-pressure gas which will push the rocket in the opposite direction. “ (M.K.Carson, 2006, exploring the solar system, unknown, Chicago) As the rocket fuel burns, it produces a large volume of hot gas, which becomes its exhaust gases, pushing the rocket up into the air. (Space and Astronomy; T. Furniss, G.Lee, J.Stokes) Newton’s law states that the total momentum of a system free from outside forces is conserved. Therefore the momentum had to be exactly the same to the momentum to the rocket’s gas jet, which could calculate length of the swing. As the weighing of the rocket can be measured, needed velocity could then be determined. Based on the above theory, Goddard “uses ballistic pendulum to attach the rocket determining the velocity needed for launching rocket which is about 300 m/sec.” (Dr. David P. Stern, 1-14-2005) During 1900’s people did not believe rocket could work in space. However, Goddard’s analysis proved that is possible for rocket to be worked in space even it is vacuum as there is no air to push against and move forward as far as the initial energy is high enough. Without this significant research and experiment on launching rocket, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s idea of launching rocket into space is only theory. This also provided detailed data for Wernher Von Braun’ success on engineering American’s first satellite which is the 4-stage rocket. It also helped with Korolev’s design of rocket of earth, carrying the first person into space. (M.K.Carson, 2006, exploring the solar system, unknown, Chicago) In 1919, his paper “A method for reaching Extreme Altitudes” was published in the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections mainly to describe about using rockets to explore upper atmosphere for weather but also suggested the possibility of by “using a rocket to send a small quantity of flash powder to the dark side of the moon, where when ignited, it could be viewed from the earth through telescopes, thereby proving that extreme altitude had been reached.” (World of Earth Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Gale Science In Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.) This article did not only explain the experiments by including calculation he had conducted but also stated the foundations for the early theory of modern rocket.( Astronomy & Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch. Gale, 2008. Gale Science In Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.) On 16 March 1926, Goddard launched his first rocket which its fuel was petrol and liquid oxygen known as an important historical event in rockery history. (Physics context, 2003) The rocket traveled forty-one feet. He then continued work on with many experiment, achieving he greatest height of his rockets reached which was estimated at 8,000 to 9,000 feet on March 26, 1937. (Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present. Ed. Brigham Narins. Detroit: Gale Group, 2008. Gale Science in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2010) References: ← http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow'displayGroupName=K12-Reference&prodId=SCIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1619001924&mode=view ← http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sgoddard.htm ← http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow'displayGroupName=K12-Reference&prodId=SCIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK2641910052&mode=view ← http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow'displayGroupName=K12-Reference&prodId=SCIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK2640010030&mode=view ← http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_Robert_Goddard's_contribution_to_rocket_science ← http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Goddard ← The New Encyclopedia Britannica V5, 2005, Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. ← Exploring the Solar System, Mary Kay, Carson, 2006 ← Space and Astronomy: All illustrated Guide to Science, T.Furniss, G.Lee, J.Stokes ← http://space.about.com/od/biographies/a/robertgoddard.htm ←