Rocket man: How a Worcester native helped put a man on the moon

Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of one of humanity's biggest achievements: On July 20th, 1969 astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon.

Developing the technology for the launch of Apollo 11 took years. It can be traced back to the work of Dr. Robert Goddard, the late Worcester native who was an alum of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a professor at Clark University.

From a young age, Goddard had a big dream of launching a rocket. On March 16, 1926, he sent the first liquid-fueled rocket into the sky for just a few seconds. It took off from a field in Auburn.

Goddard recorded the proceedings in his diary. "The day was clear and comfortably quiet," wrote the scientist. "It looked almost magical as it rose, without any appreciably greater noise or flame, as if it said, ‘I've been here long enough. I think will be going somewhere else if you don't mind.'"

The rocket was only in the air for about two seconds, traveling at a speed of 60 mph, and reaching an altitude of about 41 feet.

Goddard was a professor at Clark University when that launch took place. He died in 1945. Today, the university has a vast collection of papers and memorabilia documenting his work.

They've even preserved one of the original launch frames from his first generation of rockets.

Fordyce Williams, who oversees the Clark archives, said Goddard's work was truly groundbreaking. "It really was the Kitty Hawk of rocketry, it had the same effect."

Goddard's work quickly became more sophisticated after that first launch. "He set off the rocket that broke the sound barrier," said Williams. "He had huge developments.  He was also the first person to use a guidance system."

WPI president Laurie Leshin, who spent six years at NASA before coming to Worcester, said Goddard's work is "fundamental to the success we had in space in Apollo, and even the success we have in space today."

Leshin said there is a great deal of pride at WPI, where Goddard graduated in 1908. The building where he did some of his earliest experiments bears a plaque honoring his work.

"One of our alums was really the father of the space age," said Leshin, noting he dreamed and started to invent the technology that "ultimately took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon 50 years ago."

Included in Clark's archives is a copy of Goddard's autobiography that Aldrin brought with him on the Apollo 11 mission and signed in space.

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