MARCH 16TH, 1926  |  AUBURN, MASSACHUSETTS

At 2:30 PM on March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard successfully launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket from a snow-covered field in Auburn, Massachusetts. The 10-foot-tall rocket flew for only 2.5 seconds, peaking at 41 feet above ground and landing 184 feet away, but it helped launch a new era in the history of rocketry.

Rocket development around the world escalated quickly over next few decades. Within the next half-century, rockets had became advanced enough to bring humans to the Moon.

This recreation was curated by leading experts on Goddard and the field of Rocketry, showing the most accurate representation of this moment of history to date.