SMRTR Science & EngineeringMar 16, 2026Ars Technica

100 years later, where is Robert Goddard's first liquid-fuel rocket?

SMRTR summary

Robert Goddard's liquid-fueled rocket "Nell" flew for 2.5 seconds on March 16, 1926, traveling 41 feet high and 184 feet forward before crashing into snow in Auburn, Massachusetts. Goddard collected the pieces and reused components for future rockets due to limited funding. Today, parts of Nell are scattered across institutions—the Smithsonian likely has the reused nozzle in a successor rocket, while the Roswell Museum holds four pieces including chamber fragments and the nose cone.

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