On
the Conduction of Electricity at Contacts of Dissimilar Solids
by Robert
Hutchings Goddard
A
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Clark University, in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Robert Hutchings
Goddard is widely regarded as "the father of modern rocketry." Born
a the son of a machine shop owner in 1882, Goddard became a physics instructor
at Clark University. In 1912 he submitted
this advanced electronics dissertation to
receive his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
An important
(and hard-to-find) document, "On the Conduction of Electricity"
covers the resistance to the flow of current across the contact of dissimilar
solids. Using rare minerals and metal alloys, Goddard experimented
extensively with this unusual phenomenon. This book describes his
experiments with carbon, tellurium, silicon, galena, magnetite, aluminum,
copper, lead, silver, and many other substances. He shows how permanent
changes of conductance occur, the effects with large currents, and discusses
his microscopic examinations during the passage of large currents (which
produce various light effects and sparks).
Robert
Goddard also did experiments in high vacuum environments, and his laboratory
apparatus are illustrated. Similarly, he made experiments in various
gases (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, CO2) and reports those findings.
The text covers conductivity of metal filings in air and vacuo, conductivity
of metal filings produced in vacuo, odor of aluminum and magnesium filings,
conductivity of galena, oscillograms of rectifiers at high frequencies,
etc etc.
These
important experiments were later published (in 1912) in the Journal
of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, by the American Physical Society.
This
rare book, with its many detailed illustrations, is a most interesting
read for everyone interested in the physics and science of electricity.
The book also provides many insights into the mind and thinking of this
important inventor. It's a good (an most unusual) addition to the
collection of any rocket scientist, engineer, or technician, as well.
As a
young physics graduate student, Goddard went on to conduct static tests
with small solid-fuel rockets, and in 1912 he developed the detailed mathematical
theory of rocket propulsion. He continued these efforts and actually
received two patents in 1914. One was the first for a rocket using
solid and liquid fuel, and the other for a multistage rocket.
In 1915
he proved that rocket engines could produce thrust in a vacuum--proving
that space flight was indeed possible. In 1916 the Smithsonian Institution
provided funds for Goddard to continue his work on solid-propellant rockets
and to begin development of liquid-fuel rockets as well.
During
World War I, Goddard developed several types of solid-fuel rockets to be
fired from handheld launching tubes. These formed the basis of the
bazooka and other powerful rocket weapons of World War II.
Goddard
continued as a professor of physics at Clark, turning his attention to
liquid rocket propulsion. In 1916 he applied to the Smithsonian Institution
for assistance in 1916 and received a $5,000 grant. His research
was ultimately published by the Smithsonian as the classic study, A
Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes, in 1919.
In this
now-famous treatise, Goddard described how rockets could be used to explore
the upper atmosphere. He went on to show that at a velocity of 6.95
miles per second (11.2 kps), without air resistance, an object could escape
Earth's gravity and head into infinity, or toward other celestial bodies.
This became known as the Earth's "escape velocity." He explained
that humans could reach the Moon using these techniques.
On March
16, 1926, Goddard launched his first liquid-fuel rocket, a liquid oxygen
and gasoline vehicle that rose 184 feet in 2.5 seconds. This event
heralded the modern age of rocketry.
He continued
to experiment with rockets and propellants for the rest of his life.
From 1930 to 1941, he launched rockets of increasing complexity and capability.
He developed systems for steering a rocket in flight by using a rudder-like
device to deflect the gaseous exhaust, with gyroscopes to keep the rocket
headed in the proper direction.
The culmination
of this effort was a successful launch of a rocket to an altitude of 9,000
feet in 1941. Later that year joined the U.S. Navy, and spent the
duration of World War II developing a jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) rocket
to shorten the distance required for heavy aircraft launches. Some
of this work led to the development of the “throttlable” Curtiss-Wright
XLR25-CW-1 rocket engine, which later powered the Bell X-2 research airplane
and helped overcome the transonic barrier in 1947. Goddard did not
live to see this; he died in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 10, 1945.
In 1960
the U.S. government recognized Robert Goddard's work when the Department
of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
awarded his estate $1 million for the use of his 214 rocketry patents.
Although he did not live to see the space age begin, if any one man had
a central role in its creation, it was Goddard.
Samples of Goddard's
hand-drawn illustrations from the text
(much smaller than in book)
We obtained
a high-resolution digital scan of Robert H. Goddard's original text, and
have printed it with a high-resolution laser printer (not
photocopied) on high-quality, bright-white, 24-pound, acid-free paper.
It's quality bound for years of reference use. 31, pages, 8.5" x 5.5" size. $14.85
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