On Jan. 13, 1920, a New York Times editorial stated that Dr. Robert H. Goddard, "seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools" because he thought that rocket thrust would be effective beyond the earth's atmosphere. These doubting Thomases could not have imagined that Goddard's determination and optimism would make it possible to get through failures with phrases like, "valuable negative information." The father of modern rocketry is best known for his theoretical and experimental research, not the least of which was his development of the first liquid-fueled rockets launched near Roswell, N.M., in the 1930s.
During his few years in the Southwest, the physicist attempted 48
launches of liquid-propelled rockets, of which 31 lifted off. Goddard died in 1945 of
cancer, so he never knew that on July 17, 1969, The New York Times issued a
correction to their 1920's editorial, stating that "...it is now definitely
established that a rocket can function in a vacuum as well as in an atmosphere. The
Times regrets the error." The date was just 3 days before man walked on the
moon.
Contributor: Florence E. Schwein, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.