Who Invented Rocketry Technology?
The name rocket comes from the Italian word Rocchetta, which means little fuse. Muratori, an Italian artificer, first invented a small firecracker in 1379. A century later, Conrad Haas wrote a book about the construction of multi-stage rockets. From this point on, rocket technology has become a highly sought-after goal. With the help of the United States Air Force and NASA, more people are now using rockets to reach space.
Robert H. Goddard
The U.S. Navy enlisted Goddard in World War II when they were in need of jet-assisted takeoff and liquid-fuel rocket motors with variable thrust. Goddard’s efforts in both areas proved to be successful. In 1941, Goddard’s team launched a rocket that rose to nine thousand feet. The JATO rocket, which was named after him, was developed in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
The Goddard rocket traveled vertically through the upper atmosphere and was as light as possible. By contrast, the V-2 rocket traveled horizontally over great distances and delivered a ton of explosives as a super weapon. Both rocket designs were created with thousands of engineers and scientists. These people worked in utter secrecy, and there are no known copies of Goddard’s rocket. However, Goddard’s work inspired other scientists and engineers to copy his designs.
Goddard’s interest in space flight began when he was still in college, reading science fiction. He was intrigued by the idea of moving through space, and his paper on interplanetary travel was published in 1904. In a speech he delivered in 1904, he described his railroad system as traveling in a vacuum, under the influence of an electromagnetic field. The system could complete the journey in under ten minutes.
His work received a boost when the Guggenheim Foundation provided funding for the project. By the end of that decade, Goddard had developed a liquid-fueled rocket, which lifted its own weight. The first rocket flew in March of 1926, on Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts. And the rocket’s success was only the beginning. Goddard is responsible for bringing humans and spacecraft closer together in a more harmonious world.
In 1929, Goddard received a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Daniel Guggenheim, to pursue his dream of bringing people to space. Goddard then left his position at Clark University to set up his rocket laboratory near Roswell, New Mexico, and became the world’s most famous rocket scientist. Eventually, Goddard and his team achieved success with their rockets. In 1932, Goddard received the Nobel Prize for his invention.
Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun is the German physicist and engineer who first patented the concept of rocket technology. He joined the German Society for Space Travel in 1930 and helped Hermann Oberth test liquid-fueled rocket motors. He later earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Berlin. In the 1950s, his work was a focal point of space flight propaganda, and he co-authored and wrote popular books and addressed the American public on the benefits of space flight.
After the war, von Braun and his team managed to escape Soviet and Nazi capture. Their research eventually found its way into the US, where they were put to use. As a result of the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 and 2, the US recognized the value of the German rocket know-how. As a result, the US stepped in and accelerated the development of rocketry. By the 1960s, the United States had the technology it needed to put satellites in orbit.
In 1947, Von Braun’s work was recognized and valued. In 1945, the U.S. government recruited him to the U.S. as part of Operation Overcast. In the U.S., he continued to develop the technology and the methods to make them more powerful. In addition to the development of rocket technology, he was also an advocate of space flight. He also pioneered the use of liquid fuel in the space program.
In addition to his work for NASA, Von Braun was an astronaut and suffered from kidney cancer. Even after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, he continued to research and develop rocket technology. After his kidney cancer diagnosis, he went on to speak at universities and colleges and inspired a new generation of engineers. The result was a new, better future for humanity. So far, we have come a long way.
Wernher von Braun was a German nationalist before becoming an American patriot. He built missiles for both the United States and Nazi Germany. Though an opportunist, Von Braun had a strong sense of principle, and his accomplishments in space exploration made him the most famous rocket engineer of the twentieth century. The next time you are deciding between two world wars, remember that Von Braun is the’man behind the technology’.
Robert Esnault-Pelterie
As early as 1908, French engineer Robert Esnault-Pelterie was interested in space travel. He was unaware of Tsiolkovsky’s 1903 work, but nevertheless focused his energy on developing rocket technology. His 1913 presentation, titled “Le rocket equation,” calculated how much energy would be required to reach the Moon or other nearby planets. In addition, he suggested using atomic energy and 400 kilograms of radium to power a spacecraft. His concluding work, L’Astronautique, was published in 1930.
After successfully developing the four-bladed propeller, Esnault-Pelterie was seriously injured while flying an airplane. He broke a fuel tank support and broke his hip. A farmer, who saw the accident, revived him with cognac. But Esnault-Pelterie never flew again. After his crash, he became a passenger. He died in 1957 in Geneva.
Robert Esnault-Pelterie was an early Aero Club enthusiast and the son of a cotton industry mogul. He studied at the Sorbonne and Faculte des Sciences. After graduating in 1902, he began to experiment with a glider. Although the glider failed to fly, Esnault-Pelterie’s invention made the aeroplane safer to use.
As a Frenchman, Robert Esnault-Pelterie is considered one of the four greatest space pioneers. His contributions to airplane development include rocket engines, cryogenic fuels, and space exploration. He co-sponsored the R.E.P.-Hirsch Prize. And his enduring contribution to aeronautics is the creation of the first American spacecraft. Today, astronauts are able to launch a spacecraft from Earth.
The Frenchman primarily contributed to the development of modern rocket technology. He was a French citizen, but he had no formal training in aeronautics. He was interested in radiotelegraphy and ion propulsion and published his research as early as 1929. He was also a close friend of Esnault-Pelterie, who was eighteen years older than him. This was a significant step in the development of rocketry.
As an engineer, Esnault-Pelterie worked with Jean-Jacques Barre on a Ministry of War contract. He and Barre worked on a fusee aerological rocket designed to reach 100 kilometers. Esnault-Pelterie’s work included developing an engine and a hydrocarbon rocket in static tests. During his lifetime, Esnault-Pelterie earned numerous awards and honors.
Esther Goddard
While studying rocketry in college, Esther Goddard was the only woman to invent rocket technology. She worked with a small group of mechanics and machinists and continued her work for over a decade, secretly revealing little about her research. She was also suspicious of others because of harsh criticism in the press and her lack of understanding of military applications. As a result, she remained largely isolated and worked alone despite the lack of support from government, military, and academia.
Although Goddard had suffered from tuberculosis, she was determined to advance rocket propulsion. She continued to work as a consultant for the United States government in Indian Head, Maryland, and began researching liquid oxygen and fuel rockets. Goddard’s research revealed that thrust was possible only when the rocket is in a vacuum, which contradicted a widely held belief. She also uncovered an alternative method of propulsion, which proved to be more efficient and safe than previous attempts.
In 1914, Goddard received two patents: one for a rocket that uses liquid fuel, and the other for a two or three-stage rocket that utilizes solid fuel. After many years of work, she was able to produce two rockets that had better performance than previous models. Goddard’s designs were ultimately successful, but she did not publish her findings until many years later. In the meantime, she continued to study her research and theories.
Goddard’s research helped the United States to achieve its first space flight in 1919. She was still studying rocket science at Clark University and had a long association with the university. While at Clark, she continued to study rockets, including experiments involving liquid rocket propulsion. Eventually, she proved that propellants like liquid hydrogen and oxygen can produce thrust without air. Goddard’s efforts were rewarded when she applied for help from the Smithsonian Institution in 1916. Her research resulted in a book, Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes. It was published in 1919 and she held patents until 1945.
After Goddard’s discovery, Lindbergh became interested in her work and encouraged her to pursue it. He later awarded her $50,000 for her research and set up an experiment station near Roswell, New Mexico. Eventually, Goddard developed several ideas that became part of standard rocketry. Goddard designed combustion chambers of the proper shape and burnt gasoline with oxygen in the appropriate mixture. By doing so, she was able to produce a high-pressure gas that cooled the chamber walls, resulting in rapid combustion of the fuel.