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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Ho-Hum biography about an enigmatic genius., October 30, 2004
This review is from: Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age (Paperback)
I knew about Robert Hutchings Goddard at a very early age , and read everything I could find on his work. I happened on "Rocket Development" (published by Goddard's wife after his death)in a bargain book bin in 1956 ; after reading it from cover to cover several times , Goddard became one of my personal icons. I was sufficiently impressed by his accomplishments at the time to enroll as an aeronautical and aerospace engineering major as a freshman a year later.
The present work , "Rocket Man" , was very disappointing to me in several ways. Although the author has done some homework , he missed the mark by failing to include a more technical slant to the volume. He also tended to focus on Goddard's foibles and weaknesses , rather than the formidable accomplishments of his life's work. A more technical description of the problems facing this remarkable pioneer could only increase one's admiration for this solitary genius.
A key point that may have eluded many of Goddard's biographers , admirers , and detractors is that the man was a physicist and not an engineer. It was pointed out that Goddard the man did not stick with the task very well and was subject to becoming diverted from what should have been his true focus. He also spent much of his time (in my humble opinion) more or less reinventing things , whereas had he employed a mechanical engineer to Provide some help , his accomplishments would have probably come closer to some of his dreams.
As an overview of the book, author Cleary does give much credit to Harry Guggenheim , Charles A. Lindbergh Jr , Charles Greely Abbot and the Smithsonian , all of whom shared credit for support of Goddard and his research program. Although the author seemingly has a favorable attitude towards his subject , the book lacks warmth -- tends to be a bit too dry for my taste.
A decent work , but could have been a lot more interesting had some of the text and illustrations from "Rocket Development" , and possibly more photos from Goddard's archives been included. Only 3 stars from this reviewer ; recommended , but only in conjunction with a copy of "Rocket Development" in hand.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful read about a solitary genius., August 29, 2003
By A Customer
I really enjoyed this book, and I don't like technical stuff. Goddard's just one of those fascinating geniuses, like the guy in A Beautiful Mind. (Hmmm . . . maybe Jennifer Connelly can play Mrs. Goddard in the movie. I'm there!) All I knew about him was that he was the father of rocketry, but this was a real eye-opener. He was so far ahead of his time that the New York Times (and just about everyone else) ridiculed him in 1920 for his "loony ideas"--he said rockets could reach the moon--though they issued a formal apology in 1969 (25 years after Goddard died), when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Talk about ironic. Bottom line, it's an inspiring story about a sickly kid who would climb a tree in his backyard to gaze at the stars and dream about reaching them--and grew up to do some thing about it. Man, did he--he pretty much invented rocketry and the basics of the US space program. And of course, he was the inspiration for generations of "rocket boys." I was one of them . . . if you know who Estes Industries is, you'll know exactly what I mean!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bringing a Genius Down to Earth, September 25, 2003
Rocket Man, by David A. Clary, is an excellent review of the life of Robert H Goddard. Clary provides new insights into the personality and work ethic of this enigmatic genius. He correctly points out that Goddard's contributions to rocketry have taken on legendary proportions and have been manipulated over the years by several driving forces. Not the least of these forces is that, following the launch of the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik I (launched by the Soviet Union in 1957) Americans wanted to be reassured that America had a viable pioneer in the field of rocketry. The pre-eminence of the Russian space program and the German rocket pioneer, Werner von Braun (architect of the Saturn V rocket that took man to the moon) tended to overshadow virtually all other experimenters who contributed to the development of rocketry in the 20th century. While Clary's book is a scholarly effort, with significant research and an impressive bibliography, he tends to emphasize (chapter after chapter) that Goddard himself was dominated by the desire to ensure that he would be remembered as the father, not only of rocketry, but all, or many of, the innovations necessary to make rocketry possible. Clary also notes that Goddard was not above making efforts to feather his nest to ensure financial security and intimates on several occasions, possible improprieties in his conduct. This emphasis tends to detract from the credibility of the book because of his constant referrals to it. While these aspects of Goddard may be true, it is necessary for us to keep into focus that this man was not simply a theorist as previous notables were, but a practical experimenter who was the first to demonstrate that the liquid fuel rocket was not only possible, but a viable means of achieving extreme altitudes. If there is any lapse in the book's content, it may be that several of the innovations that Goddard pioneered (such as regenerative cooling of the rocket engine, a significant step in achieving the ability to burn propellants at high temperatures in a combustion chamber) were not pursued. It is interesting to note the parallels between the Wright brothers and Goddard when it came to marketing their invention. Both seem to lose track of the engineering aspects of their work and became mired in the marketing aspects, for which neither were prepared. As a result, each was overshadowed by technology advances from other inventors. Clary's book is certainly a positive addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of the space age but it must be read with the caveats noted.
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