Robert H. Goddard

First-edition Smithsonian printing of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Development.

• Robert H. Goddard (American).
• Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, March 16, 1936.
• Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Volume 95, Number 3.
•  [2], 10 pages.
• Octavo.
• 11 plates on 6 leaves.
• Bound in original side-stitched printed wrappers.

An important marker in the development of rocketry and space flight, the pamphlet sums up Goddard's pioneering work in rocketry over the previous two decades. On March 16, 1926 Goddard launched the world's first liquid propellant rocket, from a site near Auburn, Massachusetts, and he would continue to develop the technology for the rest of his life. He held over 200 patents relating to rocketry and space flight, and in honor of his contributions, NASA named its first space-flight center after him. The pamphlet was produced in part as a report back to the Smithsonian, who had begun contributing financially to his research beginning in 1915.