Celebrating 100 Years Since Goddard’s Breakthrough Moment in Modern Rocketry

From the voyages of spacecraft to the Moon and beyond, to the launches of satellites that help us navigate, communicate, and understand our planet and the universe, the use of liquid-fueled 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 small but significant success when he launched a liquid-fueled rocket for the first time. His rocket, fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline, was tested at his Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts.

While unimpressive by most measures—the rocket flew for just 2.5 seconds, reaching 41 feet (12.5 meters) in altitude and landing in a cabbage patch 184 feet (56 meters) away—it was a breakthrough that heralded the exploration of space.

Over his lifetime, Goddard improved on his design and went on to create other technologies for space travel, including systems to steer rockets, pumps for rocket fuels, and engines that could pivot for better control. His pioneering work laid an important foundation for our achievements in space today.

Photo Credit: Esther Goddard, from the Clark University archive.

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Ben

I am the owner of Cerebral-overload.com and the Verizon Wireless Reviewer for Techburgh.com. My love of gadgets came from his lack of a Nintendo Game Boy when he was a child . I vowed from that day on to get his hands on as many tech products as possible. My approach to a review is to make it informative for the technofile while still making it understandable to everyone. Ben is a new voice in the tech industry and is looking to make a mark wherever he goes. When not reviewing products, I is also a 911 Telecommunicator just outside of Pittsburgh PA.

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