Mars is bright and beautiful tonight Here is a *Science Thread* about what a night like this can inspire.
1/ October 19, 1899, 17 year-old Robert Goddard climbed a cherry tree to cut off the dead limbs. He was mesmorized by the sky. It was at this moment his imagination grew.
1/ October 19, 1899, 17 year-old Robert Goddard climbed a cherry tree to cut off the dead limbs. He was mesmorized by the sky. It was at this moment his imagination grew.
2/ Robert Goddard's father had already encouraged his young curious mind, nurturing his scientific interest by providing him with a telescope, a microscope, and a subscription to Scientific American @sciam
3/ While in the cherry tree, Robert Goddard began to dream about traveling to space. He wondered if he could build a rocket that could make it to Mars
4/ Robert Goddard successfully launched his model on March 16, 1926, a wondrous step forward at the time, even though he was being ridiculed for his ideas about travel to space.
5/ Robert Goddard kept making rockets until his teaching job was not enough to financially keep up with his progress. He had to seek financial help from other places. The Smithsonian Institute was one.
6/ From 1926 to 1941, Robert Goddard and his team launched 34 rockets, sending them up at 800 plus mph for over a mile and a half.
7/ Even with these achievements, Robert Goddard was still receiving ridicule, he became more secretive in his work. Much of his work was overlooked until the dawn of the space era where his work then became the basis for US space flight.
8/ Robert Goddard observed October 19 as an anniversary. A private commemoration of when he was inspired by his view of Mars from a cherry tree. He said "I was a different boy when I descended the tree from when I ascended. Existence at last seemed very purposive."
9/ I like this story. Inspiration by the view of Mars, mixed with a little "The Giving Tree"
