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Photo: Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926,
in Auburn, Massachusetts |
Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and developed an early interest in science. At the age of sixteen, he read H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which inspired his lifelong commitment to space flight. By 1911, he earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Clark University, and in 1914, he received his first two patents. U.S. Patent #1,102,653 detailed a multi-stage rocket, while U.S. Patent #1,103,503 described a rocket powered by gasoline and liquid nitrous oxide—both considered significant milestones in rocketry. Goddard continued his research, and on March 16, 1926, he launched his first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts. With assistance from aviator Charles Lindbergh, Goddard secured research funding from the Guggenheim family and relocated his operations to Roswell, New Mexico, in the summer of 1930.
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Robert H. Goddard's 1936 Typed Letter Signed Concerning Rocket Research. This one-page letter measures 8.5" x 11" and is printed on Goddard's Mescalero Ranch letterhead in Roswell, New Mexico, dated October 26, 1936, addressed to a correspondent in Waltham, Massachusetts. The original envelope is included. This period marked a highly productive phase for Goddard, during which he launched twenty-four rockets from his remote Mescalero Ranch site between 1935 and 1938. After the onset of World War II, he relocated to Annapolis to work on liquid-fueled rockets for jet-assisted aircraft takeoffs, which ultimately contributed to the development of the large rocket engines necessary for the space age. - Heritage Auction
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| Photo: Left - A rocket launched by Dr. Robert H. Goddard in August 1937. Right - The massive Saturn rocket lifting off from the launch pad in February 1966. |
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| First day cover honoring Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard, signed by Mrs. Robert H. Goddard (Esther C. Goddard). |
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| Photo: Mrs. Robert H. Goddard accepting the Langley Medal, awarded posthumously to Dr. Goddard for his pioneering contributions to rocketry. |
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| First day cover honoring Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard, signed by the stamp designer, Robert J. Jones. |
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| Cover commemorating the 50th anniversary of the inaugural liquid fuel rocket flight. |
