section_path: Design/Pendulum rocket fallacy
section_name: Pendulum rocket fallacy
paragraph_text: Pendulum rocket fallacy
  
  The first liquid-fuel rocket, constructed by Robert H. Goddard, differed significantly from modern rockets. The rocket engine was at the top and the fuel tank at the bottom of the rocket, based on Goddard's belief that the rocket would achieve stability by "hanging" from the engine like a pendulum in flight. However, the rocket veered off course and crashed 184 feet (56 m) away from the launch site, indicating that the rocket was no more stable than one with the rocket engine at the base.