posted 10-30-2022 01:05 PM               

Space Cover 674: Happy 140th Birthday Dr. Goddard

Earlier this month we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Wally Schirra's MA-8 Mercury flight. Just two days after that was the 140th birthday of American rocket pioneer Dr. Robert H. Goddard. Known as the "Father of American Rocketry", Dr. Goddard developed and worked on rockets in the early part of the 20th century. He developed methods that later became commonplace in today's rocket systems. He utilized gyroscopes and steerable thrust to maintain control of his rockets. In 1926 he successfully launched the first liquid fuel rocket. Using a combination of gasoline and liquid oxygen his rocket which he later dubbed "Nell" rose to just 41 feet and landed 184 away from the launch stand. It might not seem like much but it was a start.

Dr. Goddard conducted much of his research in private and his work was not very well known during his lifetime. Many early rocket engineers including Dr. Wehrner von Braun credit Dr. Goddard's limited writings as a starting point for their own research career in rocketry. After his death Dr. Goddard was later recognized for his contributions to the advancement of rocketry with the Langley Gold Medal from the Smithsonian Institution, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a stamp issued in 1964. NASA also honored Dr. Goddard by naming its first research center after him. The Goddard Space Flight Center is located in Greenbelt MD just outside Washington DC.

The cover pictured honors the 100th birthday of Dr. Goddard. Postmarked in Greenbelt MD, the cover was produced by the Goddard Space Flight Center Stamp Club. The Goddard Stamp Club produced beautifully printed covers for major launches from 1971 – 2011. Goddard was a tracking station for Apollo and Space Shuttle flights. Many of the scientific payloads flown on the Shuttle or on expendable boosters were managed at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Certainly a fitting honor for the center's namesake.