{"id":27452,"date":"2026-03-12T15:04:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T19:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&#038;p=27452"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T19:04:52","slug":"clark-alum-spearheads-100th-anniversary-of-goddard-rocket-launch","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/12\/clark-alum-spearheads-100th-anniversary-of-goddard-rocket-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark alum spearheads 100th anniversary of Goddard rocket launch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-i-want-every-kid-in-worcester-to-be-proud-of-this\">\u2018I want every kid in Worcester to be proud of this\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-1024x647.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Slatkin &#039;74 sits in the Goddard home\" class=\"wp-image-13061\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.582760861492759;width:351px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-1024x647.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-768x485.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-1536x971.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-2048x1294.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022-Goddard-House-35-scaled-1-1200x758.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charles Slatkin &#039;74 is preserving the Worcester home of Robert Goddard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Not long after Charles Slatkin \u201974 purchased the childhood home of fellow Clark alum and professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/from-clark-to-the-moon\/\">Robert Goddard<\/a>, M.A. 1910, Ph.D. 1911, to save the dwelling from demolition, he gave himself a deadline: 1,000 days to generate local and national interest in the 100th anniversary of Goddard\u2019s rocket launch. The countdown commenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those 1,000 days have ticked by, and the anniversary is here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goddard launched the world\u2019s first liquid-fuel rocket on March 16, 1926, an accomplishment that put a man on the moon just 43 years later. Slatkin has been the force coordinating a slate of events for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstlaunchcentennial.org\/\">First Launch Centennial<\/a>&nbsp;to celebrate Goddard\u2019s legacy and inspire the next generation of innovators and scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot only is this a chance to celebrate something that happened a hundred years ago,\u201d says Slatkin, \u201cit&#8217;s a chance to also celebrate how amazing humanity is, how amazing science and engineers are. We don&#8217;t necessarily pay a lot of tribute to them. I want every kid in Worcester to be proud of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time that Slatkin hasn\u2019t been busy renovating the Goddard house \u2014 which is evolving into a hub for science education and inspiration called the Robert and Esther Goddard Center for Innovation \u2014 he\u2019s been traveling to aerospace conferences to make connections with people Slatkin describes as \u201ctoday\u2019s Goddards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ClarkU News caught up with Slatkin ahead of the anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group alignright boxout has-white-color has-light-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-281d90a3ea8428ddda07ad94ae38d3d6 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" id=\"hang-right\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-clark-celebrates-the-father-of-modern-rocketry\">Clark celebrates the Father of Modern Rocketry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300-1024x785.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Goddard at a blackboard at Clark University\" class=\"wp-image-25408\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.3044758990053558;width:311px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300-1024x785.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300-768x588.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300-1200x919.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/1_Goddard_at_blackboard_300.jpg 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exhibit-the-robert-goddard-collection\">Exhibit: The Robert Goddard Collection<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Goddard Library Archives and Special Collections, first floor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>March 16\u201320, 2 to 4 p.m. each day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Saturday, March 21, 1 to 4 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-path-to-success\">The Path to Success<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A talk by&nbsp;<strong>John Emond \u201974<\/strong>, retired NASA Headquarters program manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tuesday, March 17, 7 p.m.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Johnson Auditorium (Sackler 120) or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/clarku.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_M3Vcz4-pTB2pR4nQKjIaTw\">Zoom<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-dreamer-who-launched-the-space-age\">The Dreamer Who Launched the Space Age<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>A talk by&nbsp;<strong>Kevin Schindler<\/strong>, historian and author of \u201cRobert Goddard\u2019s Massachusetts\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dana Commons, Higgins Lounge or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/clarku.zoom.us\/webinar\/register\/WN_unsDvg6ESS-5FuyCX7_MBA\">Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thursday, March 19, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As you\u2019ve been sharing Goddard\u2019s story across the nation, what has been the response?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone absolutely loves it. We can go from Goddard to landing on the moon in 43 years. Isn&#8217;t that unbelievable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two advocacy groups, the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) and the National Space Society, formed a Goddard 100 contest, inviting kids to create comic strips or write essays relating to Goddard and space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These kids can try to imagine what their lives could be like 43 years from now. Because Goddard is somewhat unknown, that presents a great opportunity. People love discovering something amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What impresses you most about Goddard?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What a visionary he truly was, beyond his focus on liquid propulsion and space exploration. In 1906, he wrote about something called ion propulsion, which NASA is using to this day. Even before he built a rocket, he was talking about nuclear propulsion, and there are arguments right now that if you want to get to Mars quickly, nuclear is the way to get there in half the time. He also wrote about collecting solar energy in space to beam it to Earth to power cities. China is building a one-kilometer array to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0He was so far ahead of his time, and so many of the things he wrote about have come to fruition. I find it really inspiring, and we need thousands of \u201cGoddards\u201d thinking that way if we&#8217;re going to innovate our way out of the challenges that we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Goddard\u2019s story is one of innovation. What do you think the next big innovation should be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/RHG-with-rocket-in-Auburn-prelaunch-cropped-1200x800-1-1024x682.avif\" alt=\"Robert Goddard with the first liquid fuel rocket, prior to launch on March 16, 1926\" class=\"wp-image-27183\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5014971378247468;width:313px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/RHG-with-rocket-in-Auburn-prelaunch-cropped-1200x800-1-1024x682.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/RHG-with-rocket-in-Auburn-prelaunch-cropped-1200x800-1-300x200.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/RHG-with-rocket-in-Auburn-prelaunch-cropped-1200x800-1-768x511.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/RHG-with-rocket-in-Auburn-prelaunch-cropped-1200x800-1.avif 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Robert Hutchings Goddard with the world\u2019s first liquid fuel rocket, prior to its launch on March 16, 1926, in Auburn, Massachusetts.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Certainly, there&#8217;s been lots of talk about energy. Providing low-cost, theoretically limitless energy can be a great equalizer among countries and nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artificial intelligence is a tool that can revolutionize how we do genomics, how we alter our DNA, how we come up with new materials and new drugs. I think people can&#8217;t fathom what the possibilities are. There is fear that goes with it \u2014 think of the tremendous fears of the Industrial Revolution. People were breaking machines and burning factories. I think AI will have ups and downs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human beings always search \u2014 they always go, \u201cWhat&#8217;s behind that next hill? What&#8217;s behind the next mountain?\u201d As we explore space, we find ways of making new materials. There&#8217;s helium on the moon and no one quite understands how significant that could be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How can people new to Goddard\u2019s story learn more?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goddard&#8217;s biography that&#8217;s been out of print for 50 years is being republished. We tracked down Ann Lehman, the daughter of Milton Lehman, who published \u201cThis High Man: The Life of Robert H. Goddard\u201d in 1963. She&#8217;s given us permission to republish with a new modern cover and title, \u201cGoddard: Father of the Space Age.\u201d It includes a foreword by Makenzie Lystrup, former director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and we got permission from the Sagan Foundation to include portions of Carl Sagan\u2019s \u201cA Cherry Tree to Mars\u201d essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next for you after the anniversary?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The long-term vision for the house is to get it on the National Register of Historic Places and then hopefully to form a preservation trust. We also want to expand the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalspacetrail.org\/\">National Space Trail<\/a> through Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My goal is at some point in the future to have an exhibit in Worcester County where kids can experience space at a billion pixels \u2014 a much bigger resolution and scale than just looking at a screen or projection of space. I\u2019d like to have kids walk through an interactive gallery, especially with VR glasses \u2014 we need stuff like that to raise the bar in science inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-white-color has-light-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-cec2d76179c35c9653a316eca2902652 is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-inspiring-the-mars-generation\">Inspiring the Mars generation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Revisit this episode of\u00a0<strong>Challenge. Change.\u00a0<\/strong>from 2023, where Charles Slatkin \u201974 discusses his plans to renovate the childhood home of Robert Goddard and his own dreams about inspiring the next generation of scientists and space explorers.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"175\" style=\"border:0;width:100%;max-width:800px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/cherry-trees-liquid-fueled-rockets-and-space-travel\/id1608025510?i=1000603576577\"><\/iframe>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018I want every kid in Worcester to be proud of this\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12258,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-light-blue)","story_headerImg":12258,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[223,227],"displayed_author":[237],"featured":[494],"topic":[232,252,588,585,126,172],"class_list":["post-27452","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-community","category-science-technology","displayed_author-melissa-hanson","featured-secondary","topic-alumni","topic-alumni-stories","topic-goddard-rocket-launch-centennial","topic-robert-goddard","topic-technology","topic-worcester"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Clark alum spearheads 100th anniversary of Goddard rocket launch | ClarkU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/12\/clark-alum-spearheads-100th-anniversary-of-goddard-rocket-launch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clark alum spearheads 100th anniversary of Goddard rocket launch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018I want every kid in Worcester to be proud of this\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/12\/clark-alum-spearheads-100th-anniversary-of-goddard-rocket-launch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ClarkU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T19:04:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024_Goddard_House_Cherry_Tree-21-1024x682.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta 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Slatkin \u201974 speaks at the First Launch Space Centennial kickoff at the Robert and Esther Goddard Center for Innovation, where a cherry tree was planted in honor of Robert Goddard\u2019s \u201cAnniversary Day.\u201d"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/27452#breadcrumbs","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":0,"name":"ClarkU","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ClarkU 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