19 19, he wrote a paper entitled "How to Reach the Extremely High", discussed the basic mathematical principle of rocket movement, and put forward a plan to send a rocket to the moon. "A rocket weighing 598.2 kilograms can send 0.9 kilograms of magnesium to the moon. The rocket will ignite when it hits the moon, and the bright flash of magnesium can last for several seconds. You can see it with a telescope on earth. Due to the exaggerated propaganda of some media, there were different opinions. For a time, "moon rocket" became synonymous with Goddard.
However, Goddard is not influenced by public opinion. 1920, teaching at Clark university during the day and engaging in liquid rocket research and experiments in his spare time. After numerous failures and setbacks,1925165438+10, a small liquid fuel rocket engine with a length of 0.6 meters and a weight of 5.5 kilograms was successfully operated for 27 seconds with kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants. 1March, 92616th, a rocket powered by this engine, with two propellant tanks and a height of 3.04m, was successfully launched from a simple iron frame. Although the flight time of the rocket is only 2.5 seconds, the height it reaches is only 12 meters, and the horizontal distance is 56 meters, the first liquid fuel rocket successfully launched this time is an important milestone in the development history of the space industry.
But Goddard's rocket business has not received official investment. It was not until1June, 929,165438+1October that Goddard met charles lindbergh, the hero who flew across the Atlantic alone, and he was funded by the famous philanthropist Guggenheim through Lindbergh. In the following years, * * * got/kl. With funds, Goddard quit his teaching job, concentrated on studying rockets, improved the technology of liquid rockets, and achieved many test results of A, K, L and P series rockets.
1930 On February 30th, the new liquid rocket was successfully launched, with an altitude of 6 10/0m, a flying distance of 300m and a flying speed of 800km/h..
193 1 year, he adopted the program control system still used by modern rockets for the first time in the rocket launch test.
1932, he was the first to control the flight direction of a rocket with a gas rudder.
Just as Goddard's research and experiment achieved fruitful results, Guggenheim interrupted his financial support due to the global economic depression1July 932. In order to obtain funds, Lindbergh suggested that he report to the US military, but both the army and the navy refused to fund his research on liquid rockets. It was not until the Daniel-Florence Guggenheim Foundation funded him that he returned to the proving ground in September 1934 to continue his experiment.
1935, Goddard's liquid rocket has a maximum range of 20 kilometers, which exceeds the speed of sound.
After the outbreak of World War II, he wrote letters everywhere, trying to apply his research results to the anti-fascist war. But the military is still unwilling to spend money on liquid rockets and wants him to make solid fuel rockets that can be used immediately.
1941September, Goddard won a six-month contract to develop a liquid booster rocket for the navy and army aviation departments to help the plane take off. The Pacific War broke out at the end of this year. In order to meet the needs of the war, the US government appointed Goddard as the director of the Naval Research Bureau in 1942. He not only successfully completed the contract task of developing a booster rocket for aircraft takeoff, but also conducted research on a variable thrust liquid rocket. Unfortunately, Goddard, who was sickly since childhood, was in the late stage of tuberculosis. Despite the advice of friends and doctors, he worked selflessly and achieved many research results. Two days before Japan surrendered, that is,1August 945, Goddard died.
Goddard won 2 12 patents for rocket research in his life and made great contributions to the rocket cause. However, the American government at that time did not realize the significance of his contribution and did not give him the support he deserved.
1in June, 944, Goddard found out from the wreckage of the German V-2 missile that the German rocket was exactly the same as his. Although it is not certain that V-2 directly used his research results, it can at least prove that Goddard can develop rockets as advanced as V-2.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union led the United States in intercontinental missiles, launching artificial earth satellites and manned space flight, which aroused strong repercussions from the American people. In "Historical Review", the United States published all Goddard's reports on liquid rocket research in recent 30 years in 196 1, which made Goddard known as "the father of American rockets". The American government named a space center of NASA "Goddard Space Center". There is a monument in the population center of this space, engraved with Goddard's famous saying, "It is hard to say what is impossible, because yesterday's dream can become today's hope and tomorrow's reality." 1959 while watching the rocket launch, Lin Bai thought of Goddard's blueprint for multistage rockets 30 years ago. He said with emotion, "I really don't know whether he was dreaming at that time or I am dreaming now."
We are all familiar with tsiolkovsky's famous saying: "The earth is the cradle of mankind, but mankind will not live in the cradle forever. First, they will carefully cross the atmosphere and then conquer the entire solar system. " Comparing these two great scientists, it is no accident that their career ideals are so consistent.