Celebrating 100 Years Since Goddard’s Breakthrough Moment in Modern Rocketry
From spacecraft trips to the Moon and beyond to satellite launches that help us navigate, communicate and understand our planet and the universe, the use of liquid fuel rockets has been key to humanity’s use and exploration of space. Today marks 100 years since the first successful test of this technology.
On March 16, 1926, physicist and inventor Dr. Robert H. Goddard achieved a modest but significant success by launching a liquid-fueled rocket for the first time. His rocket, powered by liquid oxygen and gasoline, was tested on his Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts.
Although unimpressive in many ways – the rocket flew for just 2.5 seconds, reaching 41 feet (12.5 meters) in altitude and landing in a cabbage field 184 feet (56 meters) away – it was a breakthrough that heralded the exploration of space.
During his life, Goddard improved his design and continued to create other technologies for space travel, including systems for steering rockets, pumps for rocket fuel, and engines that could rotate for better control. His pioneering work laid the foundation for our current space achievements.
Photo credit: Esther Goddard, Clark University Archives.
