Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

American rocket experimenter Dr. Robert H. Goddard used Dewar flasks like this one for carrying liquid oxygen for some of his earliest liquid-propellant rocket experiments. It dates to about 1923-1924. Each flask appears to hold about a liter of liquid oxygen. The flasks were needed to contain the extremely low temperature of the liquid oxygen which quickly evaporated when exposed to air. Goddard at first worked with solid propellants from 1915-1920, then switched to liquids in 1921 and continued to experiment with liquid propellant rockets until his death in 1945.

Mrs. Robert H. Goddard donated this object to the Smithsonian Institution in 1959 as part of a large collection of artifacts from her husband.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details
Date ca. 1923-1924 Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Test Manufacturer Dr. Robert H. Goddard
Dimensions Bottle #1: 15 3/8" x 7 5/8" Dia.
Bottle #2: 14 5/8" x 7 1/8" Dia.
Materials Glass (Possibly Mercury Glass)
Wool
Felt
Cork
Jute
Inventory Number A19590083000 Credit Line Gift of Mrs. Robert H. Goddard Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.