Object Details
Manufacturer
Dr. Robert H. Goddard
Summary
American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard (1882-1945) used this glass tube device between 1924 and 1928 in his experiments to determine the feasibility of ion propulsion for space travel. Ion engines, in which electrically charged particles of atoms are discharged, produce extremely high exhaust velocities. Experiments in space with ion propulsion first took place in 1964.
This artifact may have been made by one of Goddard's graduate students Louis M. Sleeper. Mrs. Goddard gave it to the Smithsonian in 1965 as part of a set of laboratory glassware from her husband's pioneering ion-propulsion experiments.
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Robert Goddard
Date
ca. 1924-1928
Inventory Number
A19650311000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
PROPULSION-Miscellaneous
Materials
Overall, glass; shiny silver cylinder of unknown metal, possibly aluminum, inside of broken ended tube.
Glass, Copper, WaxCork, Aluminum, Wood, Cardboard, Natural Fabric
Dimensions
Overall: 10 7/8in. x 1 3/4in. x 1in. (27.62 x 4.45 x 2.54cm)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19650311000