Although the Goddard Space Flight Center received its official
designation on the first of May 1959, Goddard's roots actually
date back far beyond that. In a sense, they date back almost as
far as civilization itself - for people have been gazing into
the night sky and wondered about its secrets for thousands of
years. In the fourth century B.C., Aristotle created a model of
the universe that astronomers relied on for more than a
millennium. His assumption that the universe revolved around the
Earth proved to be incorrect, but his effort was no different
than that of modern scientists trying to solve the riddles of
black holes or dark matter.1 The roots of Goddard's work in
rocket development and atmospheric research date back several
centuries, as well. The first... ...reported use of rocket
technology was in the year 1232, when the Chin Tarters developed
a "fire arrow" to fend off a Mongol assault on the city of Kai-
feng-fu. In 1749, Scotsman Alexander Wilson was sending
thermometers aloft on kites to measu