Who is credited with laying the scientific foundation for modern rocketry in the 17th century?

The individual credited with laying the scientific foundation for modern rocketry in the 17th century is Sir Isaac Newton. His work on the laws of motion and universal gravitation was groundbreaking and provided essential principles that govern how objects move in space.

In particular, Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force, is fundamental to understanding rocket dynamics. His second law of motion, which relates force, mass, and acceleration, also plays a crucial role in rocketry, as it helps to explain how rockets can accelerate when they expel propellant.

While other scientists like Galileo Galilei made significant contributions to physics and astronomy, and Albert Einstein advanced our understanding of relativity and its implications for space travel, it was Newton's principles that directly addressed the mechanics of motion and gravitational forces that form the theoretical underpinning of rocketry. Isaac Asimov, on the other hand, was a prolific science fiction writer and popular science author, and though influential in popularizing scientific ideas, did not contribute to the foundational scientific principles of rocketry.