[115] Tail piece for rocket with blast vanes, used in flight March 8 1935

Photographer

Esther C. Goddard

Preview

Description

Photograph of the "tail piece for rocket with blast vanes, used in flight March 8 1935" (annotation by Esther Goddard). The March 8th, 1935 test (aka A4) was a significant flight, as it marked the first liquid-rocket fuel flight to attain a speed close to or at the speed of sound. For this flight, Robert Goddard went back to using a blast-vane steering mechanism rather than a gyroscope. It is described by Esther Goddard and G. Edward Pendray in The Papers of Robert Goddard appendices as:

"Flight with equalizer to prevent liquid-oxygen tank pressure from exceeding gasoline tank pressure, pendulum stabilizer, and IO-ft parachute; flame small and white; duration 12 sec; altitude about 1000 ft; then tilted to a horizontal powered flight at speed of over 700 mph; landed 11,000 ft from tower. Pendulum stabilizer as was expected gave an indication of operating the vanes for the first few hundred feet, but not thereafter."

This landmark 'A4' flight, as well as footage of Goddard and crew celebrating after, can be seen between 04:17 and 05:39 on Reel 5 of The Goddard Rocket Film Reels. In a letter to Clark University President Wallace Atwood, Goddard described it as looking "more like a meteor passing across the sky than anything else".

From September 1934 through October 1935, Robert Goddard and his crew conducted what they named their 'A' series of tests in Roswell, New Mexico. The 'A' series of tests used simple pressure feed, gyroscopic control using vanes, and parachutes.

'The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record' is an annotated photo album covering Robert H. Goddard's work and experimentation with rocketry. It was assembled and curated by Esther Goddard sometime after her husband's passing in 1945. Additionally, almost all of the photographs were taken by Esther herself.

Photographs were scanned at 400dpi.

Date Taken

3-8-1935

Type

image

Genre

photograph

Format

jpg

Keywords

Robert Goddard, rocketry, rockets, Roswell, New Mexico, liquid-fuel rockets, speed of sound

Recommended Citation

Goddard, Esther C., "[115] Tail piece for rocket with blast vanes, used in flight March 8 1935" (1935). The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record [Individual Photographs]. 116.
https://commons.clarku.edu/goddardphotographs/116

Rights

This image is the property of Clark University and is intended for non-commercial use. Images may be copied for research, teaching, personal, or any fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law. Images may not be altered in any way. Users of these images are asked to acknowledge Clark University. For questions or further information about usage rights, please contact archives@clarku.edu.