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Robert Goddard
Historical Figure
Nationality: United States
Year of Birth: 1882
Year of Death: 1945
Cause of Death: Throat cancer
Religion:
Occupation: Engineer, Physicist, Inventor, Author of Non-Fiction
Parents: Nahum Goddard,
Fannie Hoyt
Spouse: Esther Kisk
Children: None
Fictional Appearances:
Worldwar
POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s): Upsetting the Balance;
Striking the Balance
Type of Appearance: Direct

Robert Hutchings Goddard, Ph.D. (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945), U.S. professor and scientist, was a pioneer of controlled, liquid-fueled rocketry.

Robert Goddard in Worldwar[]

Robert Goddard was the leading rocket scientist of the United States. In 1943, after Shiplord Straha defected from the Race to the U.S., Goddard was given first crack at the technology and at Straha's pilot, Vesstil, with Sam Yeager as his translator.[1]

In 1944, while in Hot Springs, Arkansas, he was able to develop a primitive rocket.[2] Despite precautions, the first test firing brought a fleet of Race helicopters on a strafing mission, although Goddard, Yeager, and the rest of the team was not endangered. [3] These rockets were quickly adopted by the U.S. military. While Goddard made efforts to improve the technology enough to develop rockets that could be tipped with atomic bombs, Goddard's health was badly taxed during the process.[4] Mercifully, the Peace of Cairo ended the war in the same year, and the need grew less urgent.

References[]

  1. Upsetting the Balance, pg. 340.
  2. Striking the Balance, pgs. 13-15.
  3. Ibid., pgs. 164-168.
  4. Ibid., pgs. 388-389.
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