The Kennedy Space Center in March celebrated what might be called the birth of the space age, when a small rocket rose from a snowy field in Massachusetts a century ago.
On March 16, 1926, working nearly alone, inventor Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket and proved that controlled liquid propulsion was possible. Up until then, black powder or gunpowder — uncontrollable once released — shot rockets and missiles skyward.
Goddard’s invention opened the door to satellites, human spaceflight, lunar missions and today’s journeys toward Mars, the Kennedy Space Center noted on its website. The spaceport’s visitor center held a day of events to mark the milestone.
Liquid-fueled rockets — powered through the years by gasoline, kerosene, liquid methane and liquid hydrogen — remain the go-to for modern launch because they’re more efficient and can be controlled and reused. The downside is their complexity and volatility; they can’t be fueled until right before launch. The alternative, solid-fueled rockets, are packed with fuel beforehand and can remain for long periods on a launch pad.
Liquid fuel also is used to power upper rocket stages that place payloads on orbit and for making adjustments during the life of a satellite, especially those requiring high degrees of maneuverability.
“Robert Goddard’s first liquid-fueled rocket rose barely four stories toward the sky,” space authorities Charles Galbreath and John Reed wrote in an Air & Space Forces Magazine essay on the anniversary. “But that small step started us on a journey with giant leaps and a boundless future.”