Gee, Tom.

If life was fair, man would have landed on Mars a long time ago.

(1) But who says life is fair?
(2) And who says life has to be fair?
(3) What's your belly-aching and griping going to accomplish, besides give you ulcers?

The technology for liquid-fueled rockets existed BEFORE the Wright Brothers were doing their stuff.
Aluminum became inexpensive around 1886-1890.
The gyroscope was invented about 1851.
Bessemer steel was produced as early as 1853.
Liquid-Oxygen was commercially available by 1895.
Turbopumps were around as early as 1890.
And Newton's Laws of Motion? Known since 1687.

My point?
Instead of waiting till 1926 for Robert Goddard to launch
a crude liquid-fueled rocket, humanity could have had a crude
liquid-fueled rocket launched as early as 1896; THIRTY YEARS EARLIER!

IMAGINE that alternative historical timeline!
That would have a man break the sound-barrier in 1917, instead
of 1947.
And a Sputnik launched in 1927, instead of 1957.

Oh, by the way, Tom!....Besides other projects, I'm writing
a fictional book about just such a FICTIONAL historical timeline.

Jacob