Robert Goddard: The Pioneer Who Proved Rockets Could Reach Space

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:12:00 +0200

This article by Javier Sanz recounts the story of Robert H. Goddard, the visionary physicist who laid the foundations of modern rocketry. In 1920, while at Clark University, Goddard published 'A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes,' where he proposed that rockets could operate in the vacuum of space. At the time, the idea was widely mocked, most notably by the New York Times, which accused him of misunderstanding basic physics. Rather than engage in public debate, Goddard focused on his research with financial backing from the Guggenheim family and aviator Charles Lindbergh. On March 16, 1926, in Massachusetts, he launched 'Nell,' the first liquid-fueled rocket in history, marking a milestone comparable to the Wright brothers’ first flight. Although American society largely ignored his work, European engineers and scientists, especially in Germany’s Verein für Raumschiffahrt, studied and adopted his innovations. Wernher von Braun later admitted that his own rocket designs were based o