The Goddard Project

On this day in 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, successfully flew the first airplane. It began with 12 seconds that took humanity to the skies for the very first time. 66 years later, humanity watched a man walk on the Moon for the first time. In the 1500s, genius Leonardo DaVinci could only use his imagination about any concept of flight, but he did, and even wrote "the Codex on the Flight of Birds" pertaining to all things flight, from gravity, to the mechanical machinery needed (before machines were even really invented). Between the first #flight to the skies by the Wright brothers and the #SpaceEra of the 1960s, in 1926, Robert Goddard successfully launched the first liquid-fueled, liquid-propelled rocket. Humanity has always wanted to go to the skies, and beyond, to the stars. We currently are beginning to experience the latter. What a great time it is to be alive!! If only Leonardo could see what humanity has achieved. #spaceflight #OTD #innovation #aerospace #futurism

"𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬." That phrase could not be more true for hashtag #space innovation and the industry as a whole. 🚀 🛰️ And the quote came from non other than the "Father of Modern Rocketry", Robert H. Goddard - the man who is said to have ushered in the hashtag #SpaceAge. Why "Father of Modern Rocketry"? Because he was the first to successfully launch a liquid-fueled rocket in 1926. In March 2026, it will be 100 years since that first liquid-fueled rocket! Imagine everything that's happened since in the hashtag #SpaceSector in the past 70 years: there was a hashtag #SpaceRace in the '60s, rockets were launched to orbit and to the Moon! Men landed on the Moon! There was a space shuttle, massive telescopes were launched, a hashtag #SpaceStation was built, men and women astronauts started to have a regular and constant stay on the hashtag #ISS... And now, a commercial industry plays a huge part, hashtag #Satellites galore are being launched to benefit our lives here on Earth, SpaceX alone and all its doing, etc., etc... But it all started with humans dreaming of going to the stars, defying gravity that keeps us grounded on Earth, and wanting to explore the next frontier. Goddard, an engineer, inventor... dreamer, worked on just that his whole life. On March 2026, we, at The Goddard Project will celebrate the centennial of that first successful rocket-fueled launch, and along the way, and even post celebration date, our mission is to inspire and to showcase Today and Tomorrow's Goddards with: hashtag #STEMEducation and hashtag #STEMInspiration! Please, have a look at this flipping book, it describes our whole mission by just going through images. And please share with those who would find this interesting. We are looking for donations (tax-deductible contributions), yes, but also for big players, for contributors to the centennial minutes (especially if you're in the space industry and/or have been inspired by something pertaining to it, and more.... Here are some of the projects and items coming soon: ➡️ Robert and Esther Goddard Center for Innovat ➡️ Space train (in person or with a QR code) ➡️ Goddard First Launch Space Centennial Commemorative stamps ➡️ Space Centennial Minutes (we need your participation!) ➡️ Goddard's biography rights bought and book soon to be in print again ➡️ Immersive programs to come ➡️ STEM Education inspiration and curriculum ➡️ And merchandise (including a vest pin in the shape of Goddard's rocket!! www.thewondermission.org https://lnkd.in/eHQn9Nmj

Makenzie Lystrup, PhD, Director of NASA's NASA Goddard Space Flight Center shared these words the other day. 100% with her! And why we do what we do with The Goddard Project! 🚀 🚀 #TomorrowsGoddards #STEMInspiration #STEMEducation #Goddard #RocketScience #Space #SpaceIndustry

We'll have a table at both the Space Tourism Conference (May 22) and the International Space Development conference hosted by the National Space Society next week in Los Angeles! Come down to the Sheraton Gateway LAX for an incredible lineup of speakers, aerospace companies, and space luminaries charting a course for the stars. Say hello to our founder Charles Slatkin and learn more about our First Launch Centennial celebration. 🚀 Friends of The Goddard Project can use code ST24NSS as a partner discount code when registering for the Space Tourism Conference - visit https://lnkd.in/eSB_nAsH to secure your seat. See you there, space friends! #Space #STEM #aerospace #spacetravel #NASA #nonprofit #STEMeducation

A note from our founder, Charles Slatkin: As we celebrate National Space Day, I encourage the space community to think about the many creative ways we can all leverage the upcoming Dr. Robert Goddard’s "First Launch Centennial" on March 16, 2026 in order to inspire our next generation of scientists, engineers, explorers, and dreamers. To learn more about our goals at The Goddard Project and get involved, visit our website! #rocketlaunch #space #STEM #stemeducation #nonprofit #NationalSpaceDay #smithsonian #spaceforce #NASA #ISS #future #futuretech #spacex

Today in #spacehistory: the Saturn I and Saturn I-B test stand at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, having made its first test firing on April 29, 1960. Robert Goddard's dream of spaceflight in practical motion! The Saturn I and I-B were the first large rockets to have multiple engines mounted on a single stage. Testing is essential to getting things right in #space and NASA has a number of large-scale testing facilities around the US, with many providing public tours for space enthusiasts. We'll feature these sites prominently on our Space Trail project as we champion historic moments and the great minds that make space travel possible. Photo courtesy of Above Space

Did you know that the James Webb Space Telescope was built at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center? We love seeing new images that this impressive telescope beams back to us here on Earth! Thank you to all the modern-day Goddards who worked to make this telescope a reality. This photo is of NGC 5468, a spiral galaxy located ~130 million light-years from Earth, and combines data from both the Hubble and JWST. This is the farthest galaxy in which Hubble identified Cepheid variable stars, which are important when measuring the expansion rate of the universe. #space #astrophotography #telescope #aerospace #americanhistory #SpaceProgram

On #EarthDay, we look forward to the future of what our modern-day Goddards are currently building to preserve our planet for future generations. We invite our followers to consider how the legacy of heroes past continues to shape today's global solutions and how we can continue that work in sustainable, inclusive ways. 🌍🌱🌳 #STEM #STEMEducation #GlobalCommunity #ThoughtLeadership

Yesterday closed out #WomensHistoryMonth and also happened to be Esther Goddard's birthday! Born Esther Christine Kisk on March 31, 1901 in Worcester, MA, she was only 23 when she married Dr. Robert Goddard in 1924. Esther is pictured below at age 68, watching the televised Moon landing in 1969. While Robert did not live to see humans walk on the Moon, Esther ensured that his work grew in prominence and #NASA used that same rocket technology to take "one giant leap" into space. 🚀 🌟 #WomenInHistory #WomeninSTEM #STEMeducation #space #spaceprogram #rocket #moonlanding #astronaut #AmericanHistory

What if we treated our scientists like rock stars? The United States ranks lower internationally when it comes to #STEM graduates, something that the aerospace community is striving to change by making science and math more accessible. By focusing on the "modern-day Goddards" among us and championing their achievements - like American physicist Millie Dresselhaus, whose work in nanotechnology earned her the nickname "Queen of Carbon" 👑 - we can foster excitement about the sciences and keep kids engaged through their academic careers. As #WomensHistoryMonth winds down, we encourage our followers to amplify the work of female scientists like Millie and advocate for programs that benefit kids and teens. Studies show that kids' interest in STEM drops off during the middle school years, so champion young scientists in the making by supporting them in their STEM era! 💡🔬⚗🔭