As Massachusetts continues to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Worcester area is counting down to a milestone of its own: the centennial of Robert Goddard’s pioneering liquid‑fueled rocket launches in March 1926.
NASA has written that Goddard’s first flight, which reached only 41 feet of altitude, is “as significant to history as that of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.” The launch took place on what is now the Pakachoag Golf Course in Auburn. In 1926, it was a farm owned by Goddard’s aunt.
Why was liquid fuel such an important advance? Unlike solid fuel — chemical mixtures used for centuries as fireworks, signal flares and rudimentary missiles — liquid fuel would prove easier to control with valves and pumps and would allow rockets to be tested before they were launched…