Today in aviation history: first gyroscopically stabilized rocket start of fluid fuel.

Ninety years ago, the first gyroscopically stabilized liquid rocket was launched on March 28, 1935. The event marked a milestone in the development of aviation and laid the foundation for the future of space research. The specific rocket, which was launched on this day, was the A-5, which was designed by Robert H. Goddard and was generally regarded as the “father of modern cocketry”. The start took place in a place near Roswell, New Mexico.

At the end of March in the desert in New Mexico, Goddards A-5 rocket rose to a height of 4,800 feet and reached a top speed of 550 miles per hour. While these figures may appear modest according to today’s standards, they were groundbreaking at that time. The A-5 ran on a mixture of gasoline and liquid oxygen, with nitrogen put the fuel under pressure. The main innovation in the A-5 was gyroscopic stabilization. The gyroscopes, which were mounted near the motor exhaust jets of the rocket, made stability during the flight and used the concept of “rigidity in space” to keep the rocket calm and on course.

The successful start of Goddards A-5 marked the dawn of a new era in Rocketry, which would dramatically advance aviation technology. The developments in the rocket power during the Second World War, in particular the introduction of jet engines, expanded the flight options, which led to the creation of the first jet fighters such as the ME-262, P-59, P-80 and Gloster Meteor. A few years later, the Bell X-1 would break the sound barrier that is driven by an engine that descends from rocket technology. In the 1960s, rockets drove astronauts into space and even into the moon and culminated in the Saturn -V rocket, which led humanity to new heights.

The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum is home to one of the rockets of the A-series from Goddard-1935 except spare parts in Goddard’s collection. This special rocket was personally donated to the museum by Goddard. Although the rocket is currently in the camp, the renovation work at the National Mall location will be completed in the next two years. If it is unveiled, the rocket will serve as a suitable tribute to the small but powerful ship that drives the aviation revolution.