90 years ago, on March 16, 1926, American inventor Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. Although it was just a small and clumsy experimental model that took off only 12 meters, in fact, it was the prototype of all current space rockets.
The model had an original "frame" scheme. To ensure stability in flight, Goddard placed the engine at the top, and the fuel and oxidizer tanks at the bottom. Gasoline served as fuel, liquid oxygen was used as an oxidizer; these substances were fed into the combustion chamber with compressed nitrogen, that is, a displacement engine power supply scheme was used, which is still used in many liquid-propellant rockets. The splash screen on the left shows Goddard with his first product shortly before launch. On the right is the second, enlarged model, launched a month later.
The American leadership did not appreciate the promise of Goddard's "toys". Despite repeated requests, he never received support from the state and was forced to carry out his research on teaching earnings and on the money of sponsors, which were constantly in short supply. Nevertheless, in 1926-1942 he, with several assistants who worked "for the idea", built and tested 35 different missiles. Despite the fact that these missiles were made, as they say, "on the knee," in a poorly equipped workshop and for a penny, many technical solutions were first applied in them, which later became classics of world rocketry.
To stabilize the flight, gas rudders operated from a gyroscopic autopilot were used, the combustion chamber and nozzle of the engine were cooled by the fuel components, and in 1936 Goddard first built and tested a multi-chamber rocket engine. In 1938, he decided to replace the displacement feed system with turbo pumps, which made it possible to significantly lighten the rocket, but he could not find a company that would agree to make an appropriate unit with the required parameters for little money.
The highest result of all Goddard rockets was achieved by the L-B product, which took off on February 27, 1937 to an altitude of about 3000 meters. Meanwhile, since the early 1930s, similar surveys were also conducted in Germany, and there they had generous government funding. Hundreds of engineers and technicians worked on the rocket program, possessing everything necessary, up to entire factories. Unsurprisingly, by the end of the decade, the Germans had far outstripped the American lone handicraftsman. Already in December 1937, the A-3 rocket reached an altitude of 12 km, and in 1942 the next model A-4 rose 83 kilometers and fell 193 kilometers from the launch point. Goddard never dreamed of such results.
Later, on the basis of the A-4, they made a V-2 combat ballistic missile, which became one of the technical sensations of the Second World War, but this is another story.
One of the earliest Goddard rockets without a shell. The engine is clearly visible (still without a cooling jacket), as well as welded tanks for fuel, oxidizer and compressed nitrogen.
Assembling a larger rocket on a slipway.
Goddard (second from right) and his volunteers pose with a Type 4 rocket that rose 610 meters.
Delivery of the rocket to the launch site. Everything is very modest, in a country style.
Powerplant of a four-chamber rocket launched in November 1936. Unfortunately, this rocket took off only 60 meters and exploded.
The tail section of one of the most advanced Goddard rockets with gas and aerodynamic rudders.