Explanation:
On another October 19, in 1899, a 17 year-old
Robert Goddard
climbed a cherry tree on a beautiful autumn afternoon
in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Inspired by H.G. Wells'
War of the Worlds and
gazing out across
a meadow, young Goddard imagined it
would be wonderful to make a device that had the possibility
of ascending to Mars.
Forever more he felt his life had a purpose and
in the following years his diary entries record October 19th
as "Anniversary Day", the anniversary of his ascent into the
cherry tree.
By 1926 he had
designed, built, and flown the world's first
liquid fuel rocket.
Mars is just visible through the trees
at the lower right in this dramatic
sky view that also features the Moon
and Venus -- all visited by
liquid fuel rockets constructed
on principles developed by Goddard.
