                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 March 28

                           Robert Goddard and Nell
       Image Credit: Esther Goddard, from the Clark University archive

   Explanation: Robert H. Goddard, considered the father of modern
   rocketry, was born in Worcester Massachusetts in 1882. As a 16 year
   old, Goddard read H.G. Wells' science fiction classic "War Of The
   Worlds" and dreamed of space flight. By 1926 he had designed, built,
   and flown the world's first liquid fuel rocket. Launched 100 years ago,
   on March 16, 1926 from his aunt Effie's farm in Auburn Massachusetts,
   the rocket dubbed "Nell", rose to an altitude of 41 feet in a flight
   that lasted about 2 1/2 seconds. In this posed photo Goddard stands
   next to the 10 foot tall rocket, holding the launch stand frame. To
   achieve a stable flight without the need for fins, the rocket's heavy
   motor was located at the top, fed by lines from liquid oxygen and
   gasoline fuel tanks at the bottom. Widely recognized as a gifted
   experimenter and engineering genius, his rockets were many years ahead
   of their time. Goddard was awarded over 200 patents in rocket
   technology, most of them after his death in 1945. A liquid fuel rocket
   constructed on principles developed by Goddard landed humans on the
   Moon in 1969.

                  Tomorrow's picture: a message from Earth
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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