NEW BOOK ROBERT GODDARD’S MASSACHUSETTS HONORS THE CENTENNIAL OF THE WORLD’S FIRST MODERN ROCKET LAUNCH

Robert Goddard’s Massachusetts, coauthored by Lowell Observatory Historian Kevin Schindler and Charles Slatkin, to be released March 3.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Feb. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A century after Robert H. Goddard ignited the world’s first liquid-fuel rocket and set humanity on its path to space, a new book invites readers to rediscover the places, people, and ideas that shaped his revolutionary work. Robert Goddard’s Massachusetts, coauthored by Lowell Observatory Historian Kevin Schindler and Charles Slatkin, will be released on March 3 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Goddard’s historic 1926 launch.

Inspired by a vision he experienced while in a cherry tree and overcoming a youth fraught with illness, Goddard launched a modest, 10-foot rocket on March 16, 1926, in a snowy field in Auburn, Massachusetts. It only rose 41 feet and 280 feet downrange before crashing to the ground, but it changed the course of history and ushered in the space age. That brief flight proved that liquid-fuel propulsion was possible, laying the foundation for rockets that followed: the satellites that encircle Earth, the missions that carried astronauts to the Moon, and the spacecraft now exploring the outer reaches of the solar system. The 2026 First Launch Centennial offers a rare moment to reflect on how one man’s imagination helped open the space age.

Robert Goddard’s Massachusetts brings this iconic and inspirational story to life for a general audience. Published by Arcadia Press as part of its Images of America series, the book features more than 200 historical photographs, coupled with accessible writing and vivid descriptions, that trace Goddard’s journey from his early years in Worcester to the experiments that made him a pioneer of modern rocketry. Readers are guided through the Massachusetts landscapes where he tested engines, refined designs, and nurtured ideas that were decades ahead of their time. A bonus chapter covers his revolutionary work elsewhere, especially in Roswell, New Mexico.

Schindler says, “Robert Goddard was a legendary scientist, engineer, and visionary, and his contributions forever changed our place in the universe. As the Wright Brothers enabled our conquest of the skies above, Robert Goddard drove us to the heavens beyond.”

The book also highlights the essential role of Esther Goddard, Robert’s wife, collaborator, research partner, launch photographer and cinematographer, and confidante.

For decades, she painstakingly worked to preserve his diaries, notebooks, photographs, and experimental records. Her efforts ensured that Robert’s contributions—once overlooked—would eventually receive the recognition they deserved.

Adding a powerful personal perspective, the book features a special foreword by Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, who reflects on Goddard’s enduring influence on generations of explorers. Lovell’s words underscore the direct line connecting Goddard’s early experiments to the missions that carried humans into space.

As the world celebrates the centennial of the first modern rocket launch, Robert Goddard’s Massachusetts offers an engaging and insightful way for readers to explore the origins of the space age and understand the drive of the man who, during his high school valedictorian speech, proclaimed, “The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” The book serves as both a tribute to this visionary scientist and an invitation to appreciate how far humanity has traveled since that snowy day in 1926…and how far we may yet go.

Slatkin adds, “Robert Goddard’s contributions are as significant as those of other American innovators such as Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, and the Wright Brothers, yet sadly he is hardly known outside the science community. We hope this book and the centennial celebration of Goddard’s historic launch changes this and inspires future generations, our tomorrow’s Goddards, to think big and turn their dreams into realities.”

Kevin Schindler is the Historian and Public Information Officer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Charles Slatkin is the founder and executive director of The Wonder Mission’s Goddard Project initiative. Astronaut Jim Lovell flew to the Moon on Apollo missions 8 and 13.

About Lowell Observatory
Founded in 1894, Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a renowned nonprofit research institution. It is the site of historic and groundbreaking discoveries, including the first evidence of the expanding universe and the discovery of Pluto. Today, Lowell’s astronomers utilize global ground-based and space telescopes, along with NASA spacecraft, for diverse astronomical and planetary science research. The observatory hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually for educational tours, presentations, and telescope viewing through a suite of world-class public telescopes.

About The Wonder Mission
The Wonder Mission is an organization dedicated to creating initiatives and experiences that inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, educators, innovators, and “visioneers.” It has launched a series of initiatives to reverse the trend of the United States losing its position in leadership in science, technology, engineering, and space exploration, as well as to inspire our next generation of those who dream big. The first of these initiatives is The Robert Goddard Project, to publicize and share Goddard’s remarkable legacy and vision while inspiring the Goddards of today and tomorrow.

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SOURCE Lowell Observatory