Rockets have been around for many, many years. Some share very little resemblance to the rockets of today, but the principle is the same. They all rely on Newton's Third Law of Motion.
13th Century A.D.
The Chinese strapped a propellant chamber to a stick. This device was later adapted by attaching it to an arrow to give it greater range. These were called fire arrows. They soon discovered that the arrows could also be launched without the aid of a bow and first real rockets were born. |
17th & 18th Centuries A.D. Sir Isaac Newton wrote his scientific laws that explained how and why rockets worked. Click the image to learn more. By the end of the 18th century rockets were again used for war. During the war of 1812 rockets were used by the British on Fort McHenry inspiring the words "the rockets' red glare" in "The Star Spangled Banner." |
Soon thereafter, the American, Robert Goddard, was convinced that the rocket's efficiency would be greatly improved if liquid propellant were used. In 1926 Goddard achieved the first successful flight using a liquid propellant. Goddard has been called the Father of Modern Rocketry. Click the image to learn more. |
The race between the US and the Soviet Union continued for over 10 years. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. Alan B Shepard was the first American. Click the images to learn more. The US did gradually pull ahead and take the lead leading to the Apollo Program with the goal of landing a man on the Moon. |
The US went on to land the first men on the Moon. Apollo 11 landed on the moon in July, 1969. Today the International Space Station (ISS) is flying overhead. It is actually so large you can see it with the naked eye from Earth. Click images to learn more.
What will we do next? Where will we go? Click the Images Below to learn more!
What have you learned about the history of rockets and space travel? Write a summary on the blog about something or someone you found interesting and tell why.