中文翻譯:
在一個遙遠的田野裡，有一位叫羅伯特·戈達德（Robert H. Goddard）的年輕人。他在1882年出生於美國的伍斯特，從小就對太空旅行充滿了夢想。有一天，他讀了一本叫《世界大戰》（War Of The Worlds）的科幻書，開始想像著有一天能飛到太空！等到他1926年的時候，羅伯特終於實現了他的夢想，設計和製造了世界第一枚液體燃料火箭。這枚名為「奈爾」（Nell）的火箭，在1926年3月16日從他姑姑的農場發射升空，飛到了41英尺的高空，持續了約2.5秒鐘。羅伯特站在火箭旁邊，手裡拿著發射架，他的火箭很特別，為了保持穩定性，火箭的重引擎設計在上方，燃料由底部的油箱供應。戈達德是一位天才的實驗家，他的發明令世人驚嘆，雖然他在1945年去世，但他留給我們超過200個專利！其中一項基於他原理的液體燃料火箭，讓人類在1969年登陸了月球！
原文:
Robert H. Goddard, considered the father of modern rocketry, was born in Worcester Massachusetts in 1882. As a 16 year old, Goddard read H.G. Wells’ science fiction classic “War Of The Worlds” and dreamed of space flight. By 1926 he had designed, built, and flown the world’s first liquid fuel rocket. Launched 100 years ago, on March 16, 1926 from his aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn Massachusetts, the rocket dubbed “Nell”, rose to an altitude of 41 feet in a flight that lasted about 2 1/2 seconds. In this posed photo Goddard stands next to the 10 foot tall rocket, holding the launch stand frame. To achieve a stable flight without the need for fins, the rocket’s heavy motor was located at the top, fed by lines from liquid oxygen and gasoline fuel tanks at the bottom. Widely recognized as a gifted experimenter and engineering genius, his rockets were many years ahead of their time. Goddard was awarded over 200 patents in rocket technology, most of them after his death in 1945. A liquid fuel rocket constructed on principles developed by Goddard landed humans on the Moon in 1969.
來源:NASA每日圖片
