Rocket man : Robert H. Goddard and the birth of the space age / David A. Clary.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clary, David A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Goddard, Robert Hutchings, 1882-1945.

Goddard, Robert Hutchings.

Rocketry--United States--Biography.

Rocketry.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xxvi, 324 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Theia, [2003]

Summary:

More famous in his day than Einstein or Edison, the troubled, solitary genius Robert H. Goddard was the American father of rocketry and space flight, launching the world's first liquid-fuel rockets and the first powered vehicles to break the sound barrier. Supported by Charles Lindbergh and Harry Guggenheim, he devised the methods that carried men to the moon. Today, no rocket or jet plane can fly without his inventions. Rocket Man is a story of triumph over failures, of risky experiments with volatile fuels and untried technologies, of laboratory trials and fiery blastoffs in the desert. There are rockets exploding violently, others going dangerously astray -- and a few thundering aloft on columns of fire, higher than any before. Yet Goddard is the "forgotten man" of the space age. After the Germans launched the V-2 missiles of World War II, the American government usurped his 214 patents and suppressed his contributions in the name of national security, until it was forced to pay one million dollars for patent infringement. Goddard became famous again, monuments and medals raining upon his memory, but his renewed fame soon faded, and his pivotal role in launching the space age has been largely forgotten -- until now.

Contents:

Prologue: Justice for Bob Goddard 1

1 Anniversary Day 5

Heart of the Commonwealth 6

The Cherry Tree 7

To Fly Among the Stars 14

The Hope of Today 16

2 Something Impossible Will Probably Be Accomplished 21

As Useful a Unit as Possible 22

The General Notion of a Plan 28

And Everybody Connected with You 33

An Indelible Impression on My Mind 37

3 Some First-Rate Work Yet 41

He Will Have the Vitality to Pull Him Through 41

The Problem of Raising a Body 44

Take Chances, and Do What We Can 51

It Was Almost Impossible to Turn Him Down 54

4 Extreme Altitudes 59

I Regard the Scheme as Worth Promoting 59

Can't You See That There's Millions in That Thing for You? 65

Indications are That Spies are active 68

Official Inertia Only Obstacle 73

5 Professor Has Perfected Invention for Exploring Space 81

I Was Enthusiastic Over the Way I Have Been Treated 82

The Ideal Type of Rocket Is, However, the Liquid-Propellant Rocket 84

A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes 87

She Would Certainly See That He Was Constantly Encouraged 97

6 This Flight Was Significant, As It Was the First 103

He'd Go Away for a Few Days or a Week and His Classes Would Be Canceled 104

This Has Been Distinctly an American Piece of Work 107

Hope That You Will Be Able to Actually Send a Rocket Up into the Air 112

I Think I'll Get the Hell Out of Here! 119

7 Nell 123

It is Physically Possible to Send a Rocket to the Moon 124

Until You Get a Good High Flight I Do Not Consider Your Rocket Developed 127

Man in Moon Scared Green 133

In the Field of Aviation They Were Way Beyond Their Time 138

8 The Great Adventure in New Mexico 147

Leave the Gates As You Find Them 148

Come and See Goddard the Man Whenever You Feel Like it 155

Send Me a Report of Progress So That I Could Have A Little News to Give Her 158

Humanity Among the Faculty 163

9 He was a Hobbyist 167

I Wonder What is Happening 168

Flying Couple Visit with Dr. Goddard 169

His Many Years of Experience Would Have Had A Strong Influence 176

The Most Thrilling Sight I Have Ever Witnessed 181

10 Have to Carry on Alone 189

Not Saying it with Flowers, But with Dollars 190

A Billowing River of Fire 199

Problems Regarding National Defense are Beginning to Arise 200

It is a Case of a Square Peg in a Round Hole 207

11 One of the Pities of the Present War Time 211

Bob Needs Howard More Desperately Than Ever 212

The University Would Like to Have My Resignation 217

Vergeltungswaffe 221

Almost Single-Handed, Dr. Goddard Developed Rocketry 228

12 We Have Collaborated in Serving Bob's Memory 233

The Patents Were My Primary Goal 234

Everything in Our Power to Inform the Public 242

There Are Still some Tag Ends to Do for Bob 247

He Took Himself Too Seriously 253

Epilogue: Into Fields of the Immortals 255.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [299]-315) and index.

ISBN:

0786868171

OCLC:

50143337