Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 468
image_0 image_1
Robert Goddard Writes of Experiments at Clark University "getting the apparatus ready"
Robert Goddard Writes of Experiments at Clark University "getting the apparatus ready"
image_0 image_1
Description:

Robert Goddard
Worcester, MA, October 18, 1925
Robert Goddard Writes of Experiments at Clark University "getting the apparatus ready"
ALS
ROBERT GODDARD, Autograph Letter Signed, to Russell B. Hastings, October 18, 1925, Worcester, Massachusetts. On Clark University letterhead. 1 p., 8.5" x 11". Expected folds; fine.

In this chatty letter, Robert Goddard writes to his former graduate student Russell B. Hastings, who had moved to New York to pursue further studies with Dr. John C. Hubbard (1879-1954), a physicist who taught at New York University from 1916 to 1927. Hubbard had received his Ph.D. from Clark University in 1904 and served as Professor of Physics there from 1910 to 1916.

Goddard mentions two other graduate students, Lewis M. Sleeper (1903-2003) and Leo A. Goldblatt (1903-1988). Sleeper received his undergraduate degree from Clark University in 1925. Goldblatt received his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1925 from Clark University and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1930.

He also mentions a young French exchange student named Pierre Bouillette, who had worked with prominent French physicist Charles Fabry (1867-1945), who was renowed for his work in optics. In Worcester, Bouillette was working with Goddard and also with Professor Charles M. Allen (1871-1950) at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Goddard calls it "the Tech"). Allen was an 1894 and 1899 graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and served there as an instructor in mechanical engineering (1895-1902), assistant professor and professor of experimental engineering (1902-1909), and professor of hydraulic engineering (1909-1945). After his retirement, he remained as director of the college's Alden hydraulic laboratory. In 1925, he received the James Laurie Prize of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Complete Transcript
October 18, 1925.
Dear Mr. Hastings:
I was glad to hear from you, and to learn that you are getting settled in New York.
I am also glad to know that your work here has been a help, although I imagine that you will have to spend considerable time on the mathematical side of things. It is interesting to know that Starling covers all the electricity you will need.
Things are settling down here into running form. Mr. Sleeper has the large room on the second floor, front, and shares it with a M. Bouillette, a young French exchange student who picked out Clark. His main work has been in engineering and physics. He holds the equivalent of an A.B. and A.M., has taught at the University of Paris, and has worked for a number of men such as Fabry. He will get used to things this year, particularly the language, and will then pass on to another University where he can get a Ph.D. He is working on an interrupted-current pattern here, and on hydraulics with Prof. Allen at the Tech.
Mr. Goldblatt is getting the apparatus ready for some runs, and will use large copper blocks, in the hope of preventing melting.
Please remember me to Dr. Hubbard.
With best regards from us both.
Sincerely,
R. H. Goddard

Historical Background
Seven weeks after Goddard wrote this letter, he successful conducted a static test in the Clark University physics laboratory, in which a liquid-fueled engine successfully lifted its own weight in a static rack. The test proved that a liquid fuel rocket was possible.

Three months later, he launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at his aunt's farm in Auburn, Massachusetts, on March 16, 1926. Goddard recorded the event in his diary: "The First flight with a rocket using liquid propellants was made yesterday at Aunt Effie's farm in Auburn. The day was clear and comparatively quiet... Even though the release was pulled, the rocket did not rise at first, but the flame came out, and there was a steady roar. After a number of seconds it rose, slowly until it cleared the frame, and then at express train speed, curving over to the left, and striking the ice and snow, still going at a rapid rate. It looked almost magical as it rose, without any appreciably greater noise or flame, as if it said: 'I've been here long enough; I think I'll be going somewhere else, if you don't mind'. Esther said that it looked like a fairy or an esthetic dancer as it started off. The sky was clear, for the most part, with large shadowy white clouds, but by late in the afternoon there was a large pink cloud in the west, over which the sun shone. One of the surprising things was the absence of smoke, the lack of a very loud roar, and the smallness of the flame." The rocket rose 41 feet and flew a distance of 184 feet in 2.5 seconds before hitting the ground. The experiment proved "conclusively the practicality of the liquid-propelled rocket," as Goddard later wrote.

In a follow-up letter written on October 30, Goddard sent a list of the courses Hastings took while at Clark. He added, "I am glad to know that the thesis is progressing. From what you say about it, it looks like a very interesting piece of work."

Robert H. Goddard (1882-1945) was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, but grew up in Boston. He was fascinated with nature and enjoyed hiking with his father. They moved back to Worcester in 1898 to ease his mother's tuberculosis. He was also interested in science, especially engineering and technology. He conducted a variety of experiments in childhood, carefully documenting his work. Childhood illnesses delayed his formal education, but he graduated high school in 1904 as class valedictorian. He began attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1904, graduating in 1908. He began graduate studies at Clark University in 1909 and completed his M.A. in physics in 1910 and his Ph.D., also in physics, in 1911. The following year, he accepted a research fellowship at Princeton University's Palmer Physical Laboratory. He was fascinated with the possibility of space travel and mused about liquid fuel propulsion for rockets. He received his first patent in 1912 for a radio tube. He also began developing the mathematics for the position and velocity of a rocket in vertical flight, independently developing equations published a decade earlier, though those did not account for gravity and aerodynamic drag as Goddard's did. A bout of tuberculosis in 1913 forced him to leave his position at Princeton to return home, where doctors believed he would not survive. As he recovered, he continued working on rocketry, securing his first two patents in 1914. Ultimately, Goddard secured 214 patents (131 posthumously). In the fall of 1914, Goddard accepted a part-time instructor position at Clark University. In 1917, he received a grant from the Smithsonian to continue his rocket research. During World War I, with funding from the Army Signal Corps, Goddard developed a tube-based rocket launcher as a light infantry weapon, a precursor of the bazooka. His 1919 publication A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes inspired rocket research in both the United States and Europe. In 1930, pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh helped secure funding for Goddard's research from the Guggenheim Foundation. Goddard and his wife Esther, whom he married in 1924, moved to Roswell, New Mexico, to continue his experiments with rocketry, except for a brief period from 1932 to 1934, when a loss of funding forced him to return to teaching at Clark University. At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. armed forces showed little interest in Goddard's ideas, though the Navy finally recruited him to develop jet-assisted take-off engines for seaplanes. Working in Annapolis for the Navy deteriorated his health further and he died in August 1945 from throat cancer.

Russell B. Hastings (1902-1995) was born in Worcester County, Massachusetts, and earned an undergraduate degree in math and physics and a master's degree in physics from Clark University. While a graduate student there, he helped Robert Goddard in his ion experiments by completing a thesis entitled, "The Emission of Electricity from Substances on Incandescent Carbon." Years later, Hastings recalled, "Unlike most research physicists, who were usually poor teachers, Goddard was the best I ever had. But I never suspected that he was planning to use my work to prove ion repulsion for rockets." He continued his graduate study at New York University. He taught at the University of Pittsburgh before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was a physics professor at Macalester College for forty years. He wrote two textbooks on the physics of sound and laboratory physics.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
  • Medium: ALS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 26, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000