Goddard Rocket Launching Site
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NRHP The Goddard Rocket Launching Site is a National Historic Landmark commemorating the launch site of the world's first successful liquid-fueled rocket.
History
Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched his historic rocket on March 16, 1926, from what was then the Asa Ward Farm. The Template:Convert rocket reached an altitude of Template:Convert, flew for two-and-a-half seconds, and fell to the ground Template:Convert from the launching frame.
Goddard's final launch from Auburn, on July 17, 1929, was also a historic first. The Template:Convert rocket carried an aneroid barometer, thermometer, and a camera triggered when the parachute opened. All three instruments operated successfully and were recovered. The rocket achieved a maximum altitude of Template:Convert in an 18.5-second flight covering a distance of Template:Convert.[1]
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.[2][3]
Location
The site is located at 20 Upland Street, Auburn, Massachusetts, within the Pakachoag Golf Course. The launch site is indicated with two markers accessible to visitors while the golf course is open. An obelisk marking the launch site itself is about 1000 feet (300 m) southeast of Upland Street[3] at the "9th Fairway, between Tee and Green," of the Pakachoag Golf Course.[2] This marker may be difficult to access due to the nature of golf. The best advice for visiting is to walk the rock wall between 1st and 9th fairways. A second marker, rectangular in shape, is just off Upland Street in the northwest corner of the golf course.[3]
Gallery
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The launch site is located within Pakachoag Golf Course
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NRHP plaque was placed on Upland Street in 1966
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Stone marker was placed on Upland Street in 1960
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A small obelisk marking the exact launch site is inside the golf course
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Detail of obelisk
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts
References
External links
Template:National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- Pages with broken file links
- National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- Rocket launch sites in the United States
- Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- Buildings and structures in Auburn, Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with script errors