American Inventors: Rocket Scientist Robert Goddard

Today rocket launches and space missions are common.

如今，火箭發射和太空任務已經很常見。

But in the early 1900s, space travel seemed like a dream.

但在20世紀初，太空旅行似乎只是一個夢想。

One of the most influential people in the field of rocket science was American Robert Goddard.

火箭科學領域最具影響力的人物之一是美國人羅伯特·戈達德。

The American space agency NASA describes Goddard as “the father of modern rocket propulsion.”

美國太空總署NASA稱戈達德為「現代火箭推進之父」。

Robert Goddard once said that "the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."

羅伯特·戈達德曾說：「昨天的夢想是今天的希望，也是明天的現實。」

His scientific work gave hope to many dreams about space travel.

他的科學工作為許多關於太空旅行的夢想帶來了希望。

He turned some of those dreams into reality.

他把其中一些夢想變成了現實。

More than one hundred years ago, Goddard carried out studies and tests of rocket engines.

一百多年前，戈達德就進行了火箭引擎的研究和試驗。

He developed and flew many rockets that got their power from solid fuels: chemicals that formed a hard substance.

他研製並發射了許多以固體燃料（即形成堅硬物質的化學品）為動力的火箭。

Many historians consider liquid-fuel rocket flight to be as important as the first airplane flight by the American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright.

許多歷史學家認為，液體燃料火箭的飛行與美國奧維爾和威爾伯·萊特兄弟的首次飛機飛行同樣重要。

Goddard's work proved that machines could travel outside of Earth's atmosphere and into space.

戈達德的工作證明，機器能夠飛出地球大氣層，進入太空。

During his early research, he received money and support from the U.S. Smithsonian Institution.

在早期研究期間，他獲得了美國史密森尼學會的資金和支持。

The Smithsonian published several reports about his efforts.

史密森尼學會發表了幾份關於他研究工作的報告。

In that report, Goddard also suggested the possibility of a rocket someday reaching the moon.

在那份報告中，戈達德還提出火箭有朝一日可能到達月球。

At the time, there was a big dispute in the press about this claim.

當時，新聞界對這一說法展開了激烈爭論。

Many people thought he was foolish for suggesting something that seemed so impossible.

許多人認為他提出如此不可能的事情很愚蠢。

Many of Goddard's ideas are still used in rocket development.

戈達德的許多構想至今仍用於火箭研發。

So, in a way, every rocket that flies today could be considered a Goddard rocket.

所以從某種意義上說，今天飛行的每一枚火箭都可以被視為戈達德火箭。