1926 marked a turning point in space exploration history with the launch of the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket, a huge step for aeronautics as we know it today. While simple rocket form items had existed before, acting as weapons or fireworks, 1926 shifted rocketry into the scientific field it is today. From his aunt’s farm in Massachusetts, physicist Robert H. Goddard launched the first rocket powered by liquid oxygen and gasoline. Flying for only 2.5 seconds, the rocket reached 41 feet. While these number seems small today, the launch showed that liquid fuel could be used successfully and showed what was possible for space flight to come.
Goddard had been interested in science since childhood and felt that rockets had larger potential. Before his successful experiment in 1926, he got both a bachelor’s and a doctorate in physics, writing a paper on using liquid propellants for rocket fuel. During this time, he worked on solid fuel rockets for the U.S. Army. However, he felt that liquid fuel would be more efficient, leading him to file two patent applications. One focused on a multistage rocket and the other on a liquid-fueled rocket. Despite the importance of his work today, the press criticized his work, claiming his ideas about space exploration were foolish and that they wouldn’t work in the vacuum of space.
The success of his launch in 1926 gained the attention of other scientists and influenced further research. His designs influenced the development of spacecraft and made future missions and vehicles seem scientifically possible. Looking back now, it’s incredible to see that a short flight from a farm in Massachusetts helped pave the way for modern space exploration.
In Orbit 