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1969 BCE
The first man on the moon
The Apollo 11 made and launched by the Americans in 1969 was the first manned rocket to land on the moon. Both men became the first people to step on the moon. Along side carrying the first men to the moon the Apollo 11 also carried an experiment package. This package carried 15 experiments which each tested and collected data on individual things for example there was an experiment which determined the composition of the Moon’s atmosphere. -
Galileo's observations of Gravity
In the early 1600s Galileo Galilei observed the properties and nature of gravity by dropping a range of objects of the leaning tower of Pisa. He expected for the heavier objects to land before the lighter ones but instead he observed that all objects undergo the same amount of acceleration due to gravity and any inconsistencies is likely due to air resistance, volume or shape. -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton: Newton further expanded on Galileo’s work and formed formulas regarding gravity. Through knowledge of his own second law of motion he was able to devise the F = Gm1m2/r2 equation as well as the gravitational constant (G = 6.67*10^-11).
He discovered this constant by measuring the force experienced by objects and how objects with different masses undergo different magnitudes of force in order to reach the same acceleration and by comparing it to the radius of the earth. -
Isaac Newton's theoretical studies
Newton also did a lot of practical and theoretical calculations regarding gravity and space travel. Newton theorised that if an object was launched (as seen in the picture) perpendicular to the earth just outside the atmosphere fast enough, when it is pulled towards earth it instead travels in a circular path not falling towards earth due to its curvature and instead orbits the Earth. Newtons work and discoveries on gravity was the groundwork for future physicists. -
Literature
Sci-Fi literature regarding space exploration played a major role in the evolution of space travel in the 19th and early 20th century. Works like The War of the Worlds and From the Earth to the Moon inspired and exposed many people to the idea of space travel. Robert H. Goddard attributes his interest and passion for space exploration to him reading The War of the Worlds when he was 16. -
Russian cosmism
Russian cosmism also flourished during the same time as Sci-fi literature. Russian cosmism was philosophy that believed that humans natural next step in evolution was space travel, this inspired a whole nation on the possibilities of space travel and led to many great Russian pioneers like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. -
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was a Russian pioneer of space travel. He independently derived the principles of rocket repulsion and the ideal rocket equation (Tsiolkovsky equation) which described the motion and of a rocket. Although the equation had been derived many years before him, he was the first man to apply it to space travel and to see whether the space travel. The equation shows the change in velocity of an object that is accelerating due to thrust caused by ejecting mass. -
Tsiolkovsky's book
Alongside this equation Tsiolkovsky published the exploration of "Cosmic space by means of reaction devices" in which he shows calculations and discusses the possibilities of space travel including using liquid fuel. -
Robert H. Goddard
Robert H. Goddard was a physicist that researched rockets. In 1919 after his work on missiles in WW1, Goddard published a book called "A Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes". In it he explained his theoretical and practical methods for a rocket to reach high enough velocities and leave the atmosphere, he explained how in his rockets he increased the efficiency of them from 2% to 64% by using a steam turbine nozzle which allowed him to reach supersonic exhaust velocities. -
Goddard's work on liquid fuelled rockets
Goddard was the first to experiment with liquid oxygen as an oxidiser for a rocket, however to test the applications of liquid fuel on a practical scale he needed a high pressure pump which was out of his budget. To overcome this he used a pressurised fuel feed system. This method is still used in many rockets today as the liquid oxygen evaporates easily and provides its on pressure. Goddard in 1926 launched the first liquid fuelled rocket, proving that liquid fuel was a viable propellent. -
Aggregate rockets
The Aggregate rockets were a series of ballistic missiles designed and launched by the German military utilizing liquid oxygen as an oxidant. There were 5 main designs for the ballistic missiles but a remake of the 4th design called the A4 – V2 was the most successful, this missile became the first man made object to exit the atmosphere and enter space. After WW2 the work and missiles were confiscated and used by the allies. -
First space exploration
America after WW2 used the German scientist and research from their space and missile program in order to launch another A4 – V2 rocket into space in order to collect data on cosmic radiation. Later that year they did the same thing but instead of collecting data on cosmic radiation they took a picture of the earth. -
Multi stage rockets
Multistage rockets had existed and been experimented with for hundreds of years. However, it wasn’t applied to space travel until Goddard and Tsiolkovsky theorised about it. In 1948 a series of multistage rockets were launched called the bumper series. These rockets combined the A4-V2 and another American rocket the WAC corporal. These rockets reached extreme velocities and altitudes and paved the way for future multi-staged rockets. -
Space Race
After WW2 there was tension between the two international superpowers Russia and the USA from their conflicting ideologies as well as America showing its devastating nuclear capabilities in WW2. This tension spawned a nuclear arms race between the two nations after WW2, this evolved into both nations fighting for superior technology and dominance over space. This race lead to a lot of money and resources being spent on space travel which encouraged many breakthroughs and innovations to occur. -
First orbital flight
In 1957 Russia launched the first satellite to orbit the earth the Sputnik 1. The satellite was unmanned but held 2 radios transmitters. The radio transmitters were used in order to send signals in which scientists on earth could use to gather data on the electron density of the ionosphere, temperature and pressure. Although the satellite burned up when re-entering the atmosphere another satellite was launched by the Russians. -
First American orbital flight
This successful breakthrough by the Russians fuelled the American space program and they quickly caught up to them a few months later by launching The explorer 1 which sent more detailed data then the Sputnik 1 and relayed data for 4 months. This data lead to the discovery Van Allen radiation belt. -
Luna 2 experemints
The Luna 2 carried many devices to record data for future missions to the moon. For example, it recorded it there was any radiation belts surrounding the moon so that if there was future missions would be prepared. The Luna 2 also carried a radio in order to send a signal from the moon to earth to prove that it made to other countries (particularly the Americans). -
First contact with the moon using the Lunar series
Although the first artificial object to reach the surface of the moon was the Luna 1 in 1959 it was merely done to prove the Russians capabilities of reaching the moon, the lunar 2 launched a few months later however on the moon as well as carried out some experiments in order for further exploration of the moon. Both Lunas crash landed into the moon. -
First manned flight
In 1961 the first manned space flight Vostok 1 was launched into space by Russia carrying Yuri Gagarin a 27-year-old Russian. The rocket orbited the Earth once before returning to Earth. This feat by the Russians again fuelled the American space program, just a month later America sent their own manned rocket into space the Freedom 7. Although the flight was only 15 minutes compared to the Russian 1-hour flight, it still demonstrated that the Americans were capable of manned space flights. -
First landing and satellite of the moon
7 years after the launch of the Luna 2 and 1, the Luna 9 was launched and used automatic landing to land on the moon rather then crashing into it like the Luna 2. The landing allowed for more delicate equipment to safety make it to the moon like cameras. These cameras were used in order to take pictures of the moon’s surface. The Lunar 9 was quickly followed by the Lunar 10 which became the first artificial satellite of the moon. -
The first man on the moon
The Apollo 11 made and launched by the Americans in 1969 was the first manned rocket to land on the moon. Both men became the first people to step on the moon. Along side carrying the first men to the moon the Apollo 11 also carried and deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package. This package carried 15 experiments which each tested and collected data on individual things for example there was an experiment which determined the composition of the Moon’s atmosphere.
