Robert Goddard’s Nell · 1926 rocket
Robert Goddard’s first liquid-fueled rocket flew for just 2.5 seconds. Gasoline and liquid oxygen opened the door to a new kind of flight.
- Engine cycle
- Pressure-fed
- Fuel
- Gasoline
- Oxidizer
- Liquid oxygen
NASA · Goddard’s first flightNell
OxidizerFuel / fuel-rich gas
Nell
Select a part to explore its role in the flow diagram.
Nell
Real hardware, from assembly to flight. Explore the engines and the rockets they power.
Enlarge1926 · Auburn, MassachusettsAt the launch frame
Goddard with the rocket that made the first liquid-fueled flight on March 16, 1926. The engine sits above the propellant tanks.
Enlarge1926 · Early liquid propulsionGoddard and his rocket
An archival view of Goddard’s early rocket assembly, showing how different the pioneering hardware looked from a modern launch vehicle.
