Goddard's Battle with Convention

Mark
31 October 2008


Several weeks ago I had one of those days where I just felt like going home, putting on some noise canceling headphones, closing my eyes, and slipping into some state of safe oblivion to the sound of Sigur Ros or Quruli or the like.

I'd had a hard day. Or a hard few days. A crescendo of experiences had been reinforcing the fact that the world is a scary, threatening place, with well-intentioned and truly compassionate workers, reformers, and revolutionaries being shunned, defamed, and destroyed by those who should have embraced them, according to their own professed systems of belief. The crescendo climaxed in a frantic desire to escape.

Goddard
I was reading about Robert Goddard, now recognized as the father of modern rocketry. His story is not unlike many revolutionaries in history who have pushed unconventional ideas against the wall of convention. A brilliant scientist, he managed to develop and launch the world's first liquid rocket engine in the 1920's. He also was the first to patent the idea of multi-stage rockets, among other concepts that every modern rocket today employs. He also stated that it was conceptually possible - and technically achievable - to send a man to the moon, some 50 years before it became reality. For these ideas he was largely mocked by his peers and the public. The New York Times even published an Op-Ed ridiculing his theories and belittling him personally.

In response, Goddard became ever more reclusive in his work, highly suspicious of others' intentions. Imagine how devastating this must have been for him- to see the obvious potential of a brilliant idea, only to have that idea rejected by those he hoped would join in its championing. Regardless, he kept working, accruing 83 patents in his lifetime. He continued to publish his findings and developments, despite the criticism and/or lack of respect from peers. He died in 1945, before any of his accomplishments were recognized by US scientists.

German scientists, on the other hand, had paid very close attention to Goddard's work. The Nazi V2 rocket was a direct implementation of rocket technology Goddard had laid out in his patents. At the end of World War II American authorities interrogated German V2 rocket scientists about their technology. Perplexed, the German scientists said to their interrogators, "Why do you ask us? Why do you not ask your own Goddard?" Ironic, isn't it? To have your ideas mocked by your "friends" but embraced and used by your enemies.

Symbolic vindication would not happen for Goddard until 1969, 24 years after his death. On the day following the launch of Apollo 11, The New York Times officially retracted their 1920 op-ed criticism and stated, "The Times regrets the error." Today we have schools and universities and even a NASA space flight center named after him. Yet he saw none of these fruits.

Questions
Why is it that all too often the most brilliant minds, the most compassionate hearts, the most loyal seekers of truth are sidelined, assassinated, or mocked, usually by their peers who profess to be loyal to that which they reject? Is it to be expected that this is the lot consigned to those who would truly change the world? Must I accept this as the cost of my personal striving to affect change in all the important ways? Or is it possible for the process to feel affirming, positive, joyous and rewarding?

And, lastly, how do we as Latter-Day Saints recognize the true revolutionaries and thus avoid crucifying our metaphorical saviors?

More to come.

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