Pioneers

Robert Goddard

Also Known As Robert Hutchings Goddard

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Robert Goddard." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://space.interactiveatlas.org/pioneers/robert-goddard.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Robert Goddard. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://space.interactiveatlas.org/pioneers/robert-goddard

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-robert-goddard,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Robert Goddard},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://space.interactiveatlas.org/pioneers/robert-goddard},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

An American physicist who built and launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926, in Auburn, Massachusetts. His work was met with public skepticism during his lifetime but laid the practical groundwork for modern rocketry.

Facts

Birth Date

1882-10-05 1

Birth Year

1882 2

Death Date

1945-08-10 1

Death Year

1945 2

Nationality

American 1

Defining Contribution

Built and flew the first liquid-fueled rocket 1

Notable Work

First liquid-fueled rocket flight, March 16, 1926, Auburn, Massachusetts 2

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

NASA

An institutional honor, not an employment record: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, founded in 1959, is named for Goddard, who died in 1945 and never worked for NASA (founded 1958).

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)

Wernher von Braun

Von Braun and the German rocket program read Goddard's published work; Hermann Oberth had Goddard's 1919 paper translated for von Braun.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)

Sources

1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Space Exploration

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

2. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)

Wikimedia FoundationRobert H. Goddard, Wikipedia - infobox (born)

Quote, Robert H. Goddard, Wikipedia - infobox (born)