[185] A good flight, gimbal steering and catapult launching, August 26 1937

Photographer

Esther C. Goddard

Preview

Description

Photograph of "a good flight, gimbal steering and catapult launching, August 26, 1937" (annotation by Esther Goddard). The flight test of August 26, 1937 was L17 in Robert Goddard's L-Series. This (which was the same rocket from L16) was a movable casing rocket; it featured a movable-tailpiece, or gyro-controlled gimbal steering, wire-wound tanks, and a barometric switch controlling the parachute. A catapult was added to help give the rocket an initial boost. The rocket weighed 162 pounds fully loaded. The flight reached an altitude of 2000-plus feet and corrected well throughout the flight.

Between May 11, 1936 and August 9, 1938, Robert Goddard conducted the L-Series of tests in Roswell, New Mexico. Goddard and his wife Esther lived in Roswell from 1930 to 1932 and 1934 to 1942 as a result of Guggenheim-funded grants, allowing Goddard to conduct his research and experiments with rocketry. The L-Series consisted of thirty flight tests divided into three sections (A; L1-L7; B; L8-L15; C; L16-L30) testing ten-inch diameter motors in nitrogen-pressured rockets. Seventeen of these tests were flights tests, while the other thirteen were static tests. The L-Series tackled a range of variables and challenges that came with building larger rockets. Reel 8 of The Goddard Rocket Film Reels contains 22 minutes of footage from the 'L' tests.

'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

8-26-1937

Type

image

Genre

photograph

Format

jpg

Keywords

Robert Goddard, rocketry, Roswell, New Mexico, liquid-fuel rockets, rocket motors, nitrogen, pressure-fed rockets, movable casing rocket

Recommended Citation

Goddard, Esther C., "[185] A good flight, gimbal steering and catapult launching, August 26 1937" (1937). The Goddard Rocket Researches: A Photographic Record [Individual Photographs]. 182.
https://commons.clarku.edu/goddardphotographs/182

Rights

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