Rocketeering

Scientific men have explored rivers, seas, mountains, jungles; with heavy drills they have probed into the earth, with powerful telescopes into the skies. Of the sac of gases about the earth they have learned little. Reason: the density of the atmosphere decreases so rapidly that at eight miles it will barely support an airplane, at 23 miles a small free balloon has reached its roof.

Above the upper reaches of the stratosphere, higher than man has ever studied, stretches the Kennelly-Heaviside layer of ionized ether which acts as a conductor (or reflector) of radio waves. If man could study these regions he might gather valuable meteorological data, possibly discover new air travel lanes for aircraft of the future.

Only means yet discovered of reaching high altitudes is offered by the rocket, with which scientific men have hesitated to experiment. They feel sure they will lose professional caste, be branded as cranks who are attempting to go to the moon. To curb such gossip rocketeers hive been more emphatic than most in insisting on the impossibility of a moon journey.

So annoyed by bizarre moon publicity is Clark University's Robert Hutchings Goddard, father of the rocket exploration idea, that he has shrouded his rocket research with secrecy, has refused all interviews. News stories last year told how the greatest Goddard rocket (9 ft. long) exploded 1,000 ft. in the air, disappointed him and so terrified Worcester (Mass.) townspeople that they moved to prevent any further rocket shooting (TIME, July 29, 1929). Last week better news came when it was announced that Daniel Guggenheim, air-minded philanthropist, had given Rocketeer Goddard $25,000 for experiments, would give him $75.000 more in the next three years if needed.

Thus funded, Dr. Goddard will now set to building powerful rockets which will carry aloft barometers, thermometers, air sampling traps. When the rocket's fuel is exhausted a parachute will open, the rocket will fall gently to the earth without damaging the instruments.

For fuel, bald, reserved Physicist Goddard, 47, once utilized common black powder, found it lacked power, then developed a new fuel. One pound of his new propellant, an explosive mixture of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, is equivalent to 50 Ibs. of gun powder.

Small Goddard rockets utilizing this fuel have been weighted, ignited, allowed to rise a measurable distance. Only in this way may accurate rocket data be gathered. Dr. Goddard declines .to confirm reports that he is now building a new giant test rocket, soon to be sent skyward from a Government-loaned field at Camp Devens, Ayer, Mass.

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