Rocket

History of Rocket Propulsion

By cooperhamby
  • 400 BCE

    Archytas Flies a Wooden Pigeon

    Archytas Flies a Wooden Pigeon
    The pigeon was steam propelled and suspended on wires. This pigeon used the action-reaction principle stating that for every action there is an equally opposite reaction. The action reaction principle was not actually known at this time, though.
  • Mar 21, 1232

    Chinese Use of True Rockets

    Chinese Use of True Rockets
    The Chinese scared away the Mongols with "arrows of flying fire." These arrow are what we now know as rockets. One end of the rocket contained gunpowder, and when ignited, the fire, smoke, and gas escaped out the tube to produce a thrust.
  • Mar 21, 1500

    Johann Schmidlap Invents Step Rocket

    Johann Schmidlap Invents Step Rocket
    The step rocket is a multi staged rocket that was used to life fireworks into higher altitudes. A large rocket carried a smaller rocket, like many modern rockets today. The smaller rocket continued to a higher altitude after the larger rocket burned out.

  • Newton Laid Foundations for Modern Rocketry

    Newton Laid Foundations for Modern Rocketry
    Newton organized his understanding of physical motion into 3 laws. They help to explain how rockets work and had a large impact of the design on rockets.

  • Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Proposes the Idea of Space Exploration With Rockets

    Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Proposes the Idea of Space Exploration With Rockets
    Tsiolkovsky suggested the use of liquid propellants for rockets. He stated that speed and range of rockets were limited by the exhaust velocity of escaping gases.

  • Robert H. Goddard

    Robert H. Goddard
    Robert Goddard built the word's first liquid propellant rocket. This only flew about 12.5 feet but was the foundation for the Saturn V Moon rocket.

  • Verein fur Raumschiffart Society for Space Travel

    Verein fur Raumschiffart Society for Space Travel
    The V2, the most advanced rocket of this time was flown on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The rocket was propelled by alcohol and liquid oxygen.

  • Sputnik I

    Sputnik I
    The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first successful entry in the race for space. The braking nozzle on the rocket employed gas, which pressurized an oxidizer tank during the powered flight.

  • Space Tourism

    Space Tourism
    SpaceShipOne became the first private space vehicle to climb above 100km. This rocket uses a hybrid, both solid and liquid, motor and is propelled by a mixture of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene.

  • Saturn V Rocket

    Saturn V Rocket
    The Saturn V rocket was capable of launching 117,900 kg in to low Earth orbit. A large combustion chamber is where RP-1 fuel and LOX are injected at high pressure. Above the injector is the LOX dome which also transmits the force of the thrust from the engine to the rocket's structure.