Robert Goddard and the Invention of the Liquid-Fueled Rocket
The 100th Anniversary of First Flight
Jonathan Coopersmith
Emeritus Professor of the History of Technology
Texas A&M University
Sponsored by PSW Science Member Ciprian Ivanof
About the Lecture
Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926, transforming the use of rockets for space exploration, fostering a flowering of broad theoretical and experimental work on rockets, the organization of rocket societies in several countries, and a proliferation of writings on rocketry and the use of rockets to explore the cosmos. As historian Frank H. Winter put it, Goddard brought “the seeds of the idea of the space rocket into the public consciousness.”
In 1916 Goddard applied to the Smithsonian Institution to fund his rocketry experiments. And, when in January 1920 the Smithsonian published his paper “A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes” (with an accompanying press release), Goddard’s work received its first broad public attention. The paper described liquid-fueled rockets, their possibilities for enabling humanity to reach into space, and the potential they offered for sending space vehicles to the Moon. The report generated hundreds of newspaper articles, ranging from dismissing him as an impractical academic dreamer to hailing him as potentially turning the 1865 Jules Verne’s novel, From the Earth to the Moon, into reality. Perhaps the most famous was the New York Times critique of Goddard as an out-of-touch professor.
Goddard’s report sparked public interest in space rocketry around the world and inspired researchers like Germany’s Hermann Oberth and Wernher von Braun, the Frenchman Robert Esnault-Pelterie, and American Frank A. Malina to pursue sophisticated rocket research, ultimately leading to the V2 rockets of World War II, the space programs of the former Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, China, India and Japan (among others) and the current renaissance of rocket development taking place all over the world.
This lecture will discuss Goddard’s development of the liquid-fueled rocket and its further development in the United States and around the world.
Selected Reading & Media References
Michael Neufeld, “Robert Goddard and the First Liquid Propellant Rocket”: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/robert-goddard-and-first-liquid-propellant-rocket
Roger Launius and Jonathan Coopersmith, AIAA Goddard Centennial Series: https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/goddardcentennial-origins/
David A. Clary, Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age
The Robert Goddard collection at Clark University: https://commons.clarku.edu/goddardlaunch/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
About the Speaker
Jonathan Coopersmith is Professor Emeritus of the History of Technology at Texas A&M University where he spent his entire academic career. Jonathan also was a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer and Researcher at Tokyo Institute of Technology and a Visiting Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Jonathan’s work focuses on understanding how inventions are made and how technology is developed and comes into widespread use, viewed not only in a US national context but more broadly in the context of international developments and their cross-border influences. He is especially known for research and writing on the fax machine’s multinational development, on Russian electrification, on technology transfer, and on failures in technology development.
Jonathan has written numerous articles and several book chapters as well as two books: FAXED: The Rise and Fall of the Fax Machine and The Electrification of Russia, 1880–1926. He is also co-editor with Roger Launius of Taking Off: A Century of Manned Flight.
Among other honors and awards, Jonathan is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, received the Sally Hacker Prize of the Society for the History of Technology, and his book, FAXED, was a co-recipient of the Business History Conference Hagley Prize.
Jonathan earned an AB in History and the Philosophy of Science at Princeton University, and a D Phil in Modern History at the University of Oxford.
Minutes
On March 6, 2026, Members of the Society and guests joined the speaker for a reception and dinner at 5:45 PM in the Members’ Dining Room at the Cosmos Club. Thereafter they joined other attendees in the Powell Auditorium for the lecture proceedings. In the Powell Auditorium of the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., President Larry Millstein called the lecture portion of the 2,532nd meeting of the Society to order at 8:02 p.m. ET. He began by welcoming attendees, thanking sponsors for their support, announcing new members, and inviting guests to join the society. Scott Mathews then read the minutes of the previous meeting which included the lecture by Karen Lloyd, titled “Intraterrestrials: The Strangest Life on Earth”. The minutes were approved as read.
President Millstein then introduced the speaker for the evening, Jonathan Coopersmith, of Texas A&M University. His lecture was titled “Robert Goddard and the Invention of the Liquid-Fueled Rocket”.
The speaker began by noting that the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s first flight of a liquid-fueled rocket would occur in ten days. Coopersmith described several advantages that liquid-fueled rocket engines provide, as compared to solid-fueled rocket motors. These included: the ability to stop and start the engine, the ability to vary the thrust in real time, and greater energy capacity. He said that liquid-fueled rocket engines also provided significant challenges, “…as anyone who has worked with plumbing can testify.”
The speaker discussed Goddard’s wife, Esther Christian Kirk Goddard, claiming that she played a significant role in Goddard’s achievements. Coopersmith claimed that Esther Goddard was, in some way, responsible for 131 of Goddard’s 214 patents. The speaker said that she organized and preserved Goddard’s papers, and that she was an important promoter of Goddard’s work.
Coopersmith described some of Goddard’s musing as a young boy, being inspired, at least in part, by the writings of Jules Verne. He described Goddard’s education: a B.S. in physics from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1908, and a Ph.D. in physics from Clark University in 1911. In 1914 he was issued his first two US patents, for a multistage rocket and liquid-fueled rocket, respectively. In 1917, Goddard received a $5,000 grant from the Smithsonian Institution, and in 1919 the Smithsonian published Goddard’s monograph titled “A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes”. The speaker described some of the negative media attention that resulted from that publication, including a statement in the New York Times which was subsequently retracted decades later. Coopersmith claimed that, as a result of this negative attention, Goddard became reticent with respect to sharing his ideas and accomplishments.
The speaker described how Goddard’s 1926 launch laid the groundwork for 20th century rocketry and space exploration. He showed pictures and diagrams of the rocket, indicating the locations of the: gasoline tank, liquid oxygen tank, fuel feedlines, and nozzle. Coopersmith claimed that Goddard subsequently designed, built, and tested 35 rockets, showing photographs of several prototypes. In 1929, Goddard launched a rocket with the first scientific payload which included a barometer, thermometer, and a camera. In 1930, Goddard moved to Roswell New Mexico, at least partially because the Fire Marshall banned rocket launches in the state of Massachusetts. In the 1930’s, in his New Mexico lab, Goddard developed and improved several technologies crucial to modern rocketry, including: turbopumps, gyro-stabilizers, flight controls, automatic launch systems, tracking and recording, clustered rocket engines, and parachute recovery. During this period, Goddard received financial support from Harry Guggenheim and Charles Lindberg.
The speaker ended his talk by again mentioning the Goddard Centennial Celebration, and giving the website of the “Goddard 100th “ organization which lists the planned events and activities (https://goddard100th.org).
The lecture was followed by a Question and Answer session.
A member asked about Goddard’s activities during the Second World War, saying that while there were considerable advances in rocket technology, it seems that Goddard is not mentioned. Coopersmith responded that Goddard did work on jet assisted take-off (JATO) during the Second World War, but he was aging and in poor health during this period.
President Milstein asked about the difficulties in obtaining liquid oxygen, one of the primary fuel components for liquid-fueled rockets. Coopersmith responded, “You had to make your own.” He said this required special facilities, for both the generation and storage of LOX (liquid oxygen).
A member on the live stream asked if the life of Esther Goddard was chronicled in any book. Coopersmith responded that he was sure it was, but could not think of the title. For those interested, please see the Clark University website titled “Telling the story of Robert and Esther Goddard 100 years later”.
A member asked how high Goddard’s rockets went, and what was the highest altitude he achieved. Coopersmith responded, “Goddard’s rockets did not reach that high…I think 40 feet might have been the highest [on the first flight]”.
After the question and answer period, President Millstein thanked the speaker and presented him with a PSW rosette, a signed copy of the announcement of his talk, and a signed copy of Volume 17 of the PSW Bulletin. He then announced speakers of up-coming lectures and made a number of housekeeping announcements. He adjourned the 2,532nd meeting of the society at 9:08 pm ET.
Temperature in Washington, DC: 8.3° Celsius
Weather: Cloudy
Dinner attendance: 46
Lecture attendance:
In person: 77
Live Stream: 35
For a total of 112 viewers
Views of the video in the first two weeks: 316
Respectfully submitted,
Scott Mathews: Recording Secretary