6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. /I 



By the application of several new principles, an efficiency manyfold 

 greater than that of the ordinary rocket is possible ; experimental 

 demonstrations of which will also be described below. Inasmuch as 

 these principles are of some value for military purposes, the writer 

 has protected himself, as well as aerological science in America, by 

 certain United States Letters Patent ; of which the following have 

 already been issued : 



1,102,653 



1,103,503 



1,191,299 



1,194,496. 



The principles concerning efficiency are essentially three in num- 

 ber. The first concerns thermodynamic efficiency, and is the use of 

 a smooth nozzle, of proper length and taper, through which the 

 gaseous products of combustion are discharged. By this means the 

 work of expansion of the gases is obtained as kinetic energy, and also 

 complete combustion is ensured. 



The second principle is embodied in a reloading device, whereby a 

 large mass of explosive material is used, a little at a time, in a small, 

 strong-, combustion chamber. This enables high chamber pressures 

 to be employed, impossible in an ordinary paper rocket, and also 

 permits most of the mass of the rocket to consist of propellant 

 material. 



The third principle consists in the employment of a primary and 

 secondary rocket apparatus, the secondary (a copy in minature of 

 the primary) being fired when the primary has reached the upper 

 limit of its flight. This is most clearly shown, in principle, in United 

 States Patent No. i, 102,653. 



By this means the large ratio of propellant material to total mass 

 is kept sensibly the same during the entire flight. This last principle 

 is obviously serviceable only when the most extreme altitudes are to 

 be reached. In order to avoid damage when the discarded casings 

 reach the ground, each should be fitted with a parachute device, as 

 explained in United States Patent No. 1,191,299. 



Experiments will be described below which show that, by applica- 

 tion of the above principles, it is possible to convert the rocket from 

 a very inefficient heat engine into the most efficient heat engine that 

 ever has been devised. • 



STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 

 Before describing the experiments that have been performed, it 

 will be well to deduce the theorv of rocket action in general, in order 



