16 March 1926: First Liquid-Fueled Rocket Launch

On March 16, 1926, American physicist Robert H. Goddard achieved one of the most significant milestones in the history of space exploration by launching the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts.

The rocket, which Goddard simply called “Nell,” was a modest device by modern standards. It stood about 10 feet tall and was powered by liquid oxygen and gasoline. The historic flight lasted only 2.5 seconds, during which the rocket rose to an altitude of 41 feet and traveled 184 feet, landing in a frozen cabbage field. Despite its brief journey, this launch marked a revolutionary moment in rocketry and space science.

Goddard had been working on rocket propulsion since 1909 and published his groundbreaking paper “A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes” in 1919. While the scientific community largely dismissed his ideas, and newspapers mocked his suggestion that rockets could one day reach the moon, Goddard persevered with his experiments, often funding his research through grants from the Smithsonian Institution.

The significance of liquid-fueled rockets over solid-fuel alternatives was immense. Liquid propellants allowed for greater control over thrust, could be throttled and shut down, and ultimately proved more efficient for reaching high altitudes and, eventually, space.

Goddard continued his experiments in New Mexico throughout the 1930s, achieving altitudes of up to 9,000 feet and speeds exceeding 550 mph. He developed many technologies still used in modern rocketry, including gyroscopic stabilization, vanes for steering, and systems for cooling combustion chambers.

Often called the “Father of Modern Rocketry,” Goddard died in 1945, never seeing how his work would lead to the Space Age. In 1969, the day after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, The New York Times published a correction to their 1920 editorial that had ridiculed Goddard’s lunar ambitions, stating: “It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The Times regrets the error.”