“The rocket did not rise at first, but the flame came out, and there was a steady roar.” -Robert Hutchings Goddard
It takes dreamers to push the limits of what we believe to be possible, especially in the realm of space travel. Visionaries and theorists like Robert H. Goddard and risk-takers like Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov paved the way for the International Space Station and hundreds of space missions, rockets and satellites.
Mark Your Calendars
Save these dates to remember and celebrate visionaries and space milestones this March.
March 1, 2016
After their 340 days in space mission, the longest recorded time in space for International Space Station crew members, Astronaut Scott Kelly and Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth. The One-Year Mission launched on March 27, 2015 and studied the health effects of long-term spaceflight. The information gathered on this mission will be used for future exploration including plans for missions around the Moon, asteroids and Mars.
March 14, 1995
A Soyuz spacecraft, launched from the very spot where Sputnik was launched nearly 40 years early, carried Dr. Norman Thagard, Vladimir N. Dezhurov and Gennady M. Strekalov. Dr. Norman Thagard was the first American to be launched on a Russian rocket, a historic moment many thought would never be possible. Two days later, he became the first American to visit the Russian space station Mir.
The Russian Mir-18 mission lasted a total of 90 days and served as a powerful symbol as two former foes circled Earth together
March 16, 1926
In Auburn, Massachusetts, Robert H. Goddard, Usherer of the Space Age, launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. The flight lasted 2.5 seconds, propelling the rocket a mere 41 feet in the air. At the time, he was ridiculed for his theories of space flight. Yeas later, the launch site is now a National Historic Landmark.
Robert H. Goddard was the first to scientifically study, design and construct the rockets necessary for space travel, atmospheric research and ballistic missiles. Though he did not live to see the first man-made object cross the Kármán line, Robert H. Goddard is recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern rocketry.
March 18, 1965
Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov spent 12 minutes outside the spacecraft Voskhod 2 to take man’s first space walk. For his extravehicular activity, Aleksei Leonov had no tools to control his motion other than pulling on his 50 foot tether. His space suit expanded from its internal pressure against the vacuum of space and became so rigid he could not activate the shutter on his camera. It wasn’t until nearly four years later that the Soviets attempted another EVA.