This is a Collins oscillator radio tube made by the Arthur A. Collins of the Collins Radio Company and based on a design developed by the American rocket pioneer Dr. Robert H. Goddard and patented by him in 1912. In addition to rocketry, radio technology was another interest of Goddard. From 1936, he permitted Collins to use his oscillator patent and accepted only a modest consultant's fee.
Goddard did not consider his osiclllator patent among his most important invertions. Yet the tube was essential in the development of radio and electronics and could have made him a millionaire. The tube was donated to the Smithsonian in 1965 by Mrs. Robert H. Goddard.
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. 1936
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
EQUIPMENT-Communications Devices
Manufacturer
Collins Radio Co.
Dimensions
3-D: 13.7 x 4cm (5 3/8 x 1 9/16 in.)
Materials
Glass
Aluminum
Steel
Adhesive
Inventory Number
A19650304000
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Robert H. Goddard
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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