Archives and Special Collections  Dr. Goddard's Diary Entry from
March 16, 1926  This is what Dr. Goddard wrote in his diary for
March 16, 1926; the day he launched the first liquid-fueled
rocket.  first page of diary  "Went to Auburn with S[achs] in
am. E[sther] and Mr. Roope came out at 1 pm. Tried rocket at
2:30. It rose 41 ft, & went 184 ft, in 2.5 secs, after the lower
half of nozzle had burned off."  second page of diary  "The
first flight with a rocket using liquid propellants was made
yesterday at Aunt Effie's farm in Auburn. The day was clear and
comparatively quiet. The anemometer on the Physics lab was
turning leisurely when Mr. Sachs and I left in the morning, and
was turning as leisurely when we returned at 5:30 pm. Even
though the release was pulled, the rocket did not rise at first,
but the flame came out, and there was a steady roar. After a
number of seconds it rose, slowly until it cleared the frame,
and then at express train speed, curving over to the left, and
striking the ice and snow, st