A day in history, thank you Robert Goddard

[jflis]

Today is the anniversary of the launch of the first liquid fueled rocket. Designed, built and launched by Robbert Goddard on his Aunt Effie's farm in Auburn, MA back in 1926.

It was a rather gangly collection of tubes and tanks that flew about 100 feet and landed in his Aunt Effie's cabbage patch.

Our first real step towards landing on the moon

 

[mjennings]

I knew there was some anniversary I was forgetting today! Thanks Jim!

Friday was Friday the 13th
Saturday was Pi Day and Einstein's Birthday
Sunday was the Ides of March
today Goddard,
and tomorrow St Patrick's Day

 

[abw]

How difficult is it to design and construct a liquid fueled rocket of similar capability to Goddard's? I'm sure their are SOME people out their (experimentals) that have tried it...

 

[dlazarus6660]

I missed it again! I hate that! Every year I promise myself I would launch a rocket on this day! Oh well, at least I worked on one!

 

[MarkII]

Wow, that whole "Spring forward, Fall back" thing can really get some of us all mixed up.

The 13th was last Saturday.
Pi Day was last Sunday.
The Ides of March was last Monday.

What day did you go back to work or school after the weekend?

MarkII

 

[jflis]

Well, while I didn't get to launch a rocket on the anniversary of Goddard's launch, I DID get to launch a rocket on the SITE of Goddard's launch... And it was a scale model of the one HE flew, as a matter of fact

 

[MarkII]

Well, while I didn't get to launch a rocket on the anniversary of Goddard's launch, I DID get to launch a rocket on the SITE of Goddard's launch... And it was a scale model of the one HE flew, as a matter of fact

It was a great tribute, Jim. I can't think of anything that would have been more perfect. And a bunch of us was there to see it; I'll always remember that.

MarkII

 

[daveyfire]

It still amazes me to this day what he was able to pull off in that era with the tools available. Biprop engines are tough, and putting one on top of a rocket that gangly... sheesh, it's taken FlisKits to finally get a *model* of it to fly right! (I'm still in awe, BTW, Jim!)

How difficult is it to design and construct a liquid fueled rocket of similar capability to Goddard's? I'm sure their are SOME people out their (experimentals) that have tried it...

Check...
[YOUTUBE]wHLvlm72cMc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[BigRiJoe]

March 16th is also the anniversary of the first docking in space. Gemini 8 docked with an Agena D upperstage on March 16th 1966.

 

[dlazarus6660]

Jim,

Where exactly was that site?

 

[jflis]

Jim,

Where exactly was that site?

It's at the Pakachoag Golf course at 20 Upland St., Auburn, MA

There is a marker at the location where he made the flight. At the time, it was his Aunt Effie's farm.

 

[Initiator001]

It's at the Pakachoag Golf course at 20 Upland St., Auburn, MA

There is a marker at the location where he made the flight. At the time, it was his Aunt Effie's farm.

Darn golf courses are always taking over the best rocket flying fields.

 

[billspad]

It's at the Pakachoag Golf course at 20 Upland St., Auburn, MA

There is a marker at the location where he made the flight. At the time, it was his Aunt Effie's farm.

More info and a map:

https://www.narcon.org/files/GoddardNationalLandmark.pdf

 

[bobkrech]

Darn golf courses are always taking over the best rocket flying fields.

Not quite.

Goddard's Aunt Effie and her husband recognized the historical significance of the site and wanted to preserve it. Small farms were not doing well during the Great Depression so they turned the farm into a golf course in 1931 and the family ran it into the 70's. From then to the present has been operated by the Town of Auburn.

If they had not done so, there would be a lot of houses there instead of wide open space.

https://www.aiaa.org/Participate/Uploads/01-0451 HAS Goddard broch.pdf

It's still a great place to launch rockets. We launched about 10 rockets there last Sunday and have been asked to come back once a year to keep the tradition going.

The Pakachoag Golf Course is owned by the town of Auburn and operated by Johnson Golf Management. Goddard's famous launch occurred on March 16, 1926, and his birthday was October 5, 1882, and John LaPointe, the course manager and an avid history buff, has a celebration party on both days. As the weather in March is iffy, and it's difficult to get a lot of folks to leave work on a week day for a birthday launch, I proposed that a Goddard in July rocket launch on a Sunday afternoon would attract a lot more folks. John likes the idea and we are trying to make it happen.

Just think of the excuse a player might have for blowing a drive. "I just finished my backswing and was coming down on the ball and all of a sudden, bang! someone launch a rocket and I shanked it...."

Bob

 

[billspad]

The Pakachoag Golf Course is owned by the town of Auburn and operated by Johnson Golf Management. Goddard's famous launch occurred on March 16, 1926, and his birthday was October 5, 1882, and John LaPointe, the course manager and an avid history buff, has a celebration party on both days. As the weather in March is iffy, and it's difficult to get a lot of folks to leave work on a week day for a birthday launch, I proposed that a Goddard in July rocket launch on a Sunday afternoon would attract a lot more folks. John likes the idea and we are trying to make it happen.
Bob

Please don't make it the weekend of 7/17 or 7/31. I'd like to see that place without rain drops on my glasses.