History of Rockets

First use of rockets

Sep 9, 1232

The chinese were the first to use rockets in battle. They used these against the Mongols. The rocket was an arrow with a tube of gunpowder that produced an arrow that was on fire.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html

Chinese legend of Wan-Hu do

Mar 4, 1233

The legend of Wan-Hu do is about a lower goverment official that wanted to travel to the moon. He made a chair that had two large kites attached with 47 fire aroow rockets attached to those kites. Then 47 people ran up to the chair and lit the rockets. It isn't very clear what happened to Wan-Hu do but he probably exploded in the air along with his chair.

Europeans are introduced to rockets

Feb 27, 1300

Europeans are introduced to rockets in the late 1300's.

Where the word rocket came from

May 27, 1610

The word rocket comes from the Italian word rocchetto, which means bobbin. Some uses of rockets throughout the centuries were fireworks, transportation, and warfare.

Newton publishes Principia

Jul 5, 1687

Newton explained his three laws of motion in his book Principia. The third law applies to rockets and explains why they work. The third law says for every reaction there is anequal and opposite reaction. The thrust coming out the back of propels the rocket forward because of the third law.

Rockets catch the eye of British artillery expert Colonel William Congreve.

Apr 18, 1799

Congreve used what he encountered with Indian rockets to design rockets for the British navy. They were highly succesful in the War of 1812 against America. The rockets inspired Fransic Scott Key in writing the Star Spangled Banner. They were not very accurate but they were damaging in numbers.

First Fiction Book about rockets

Apr 13, 1865

Jules Gabriel Verne book From the Earth to the Moon was about his idea of traveling to the moon after being shot out of a cannon.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposes the idea of space exploration by rocket.

Apr 9, 1898

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a russian school teacher, published a report that proposed the idea of space exploration using liquid fuel rocket fuel. He is called the father of modern astronautics.

Robert.H.Goddard publishes a pamplet.

May 11, 1919

This pamplet talked about how to achieve higher altitudes than lighter than air ballons. In 1915 he experimented with solid fuel rockets but ultimitly he concluded that inorder to reach high altitudes we had to use liquid fuel. He built the first succesful liquid filled rocket.

Hermann Oberth publishes book on rocket travel in outer space.

Apr 19, 1923

Oberth writings led to many small rocket groups forming. The Verein fur Raumschiffahrt (Society for Space Travel), was one such society that formed in Germany. In 1937 Oberth and other German scientists and engineers assembled in Peenemunde on the shores of the Baltic Sea to build the most advanced rocket of the time, the V-2 Rocket.

Dr. Wernher von Braun

Jul 28, 1937

Braun was considered the leader of the "rocket team" , which devolped the V-2 Rocket. Braun also became a prominent spokesperson for NASA in the 1950s.

First V-2 Rocket launch

Jun 13, 1942

The V-2 rocket was deigned in Germany and was capable of destroying whole city blocks. The rocket was created too late and was not able to be used in the war. The V-2 was fueled by liquid oxygen and alcohol.

Sputnik I

Oct 4, 1957

Sputnik I was launched by the Soviets and was the first Earth orbiting satellite. The satellite was about the size of a basketball and weighed 183 pounds. This event made the Soviets the leaders in early rocket devolpment, because they were the first ones to put an object into orbit.

Explorer I

Jan 31, 1958

Explorer I was launched by the United States. In October of the same year the U.S put together the program NASA.

Rocket Fuel

Oct 13, 2010

The two types of fuels that are used today are solid and liquid fuels. Solid fuels can only be lite once and they have a lot of thrust. nce, Liquid fuels can be lite more than once and you can also control the thrust to help with directintg the rocket. Chang Díaz is working on creating a plama engine that could make a rocket reach up to 123,000 MPH. This rocket engine could be capable of taking humans to Mars and even Jupiter.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/123000-mph-plasma-e

Rocket Aerodynamics

Nov 24, 2011

Rocket Aerodynamics is the study of how air flows over the rocket, and how it affects drag and stability. The rockets nose cone help stabilize the rocket while decreasing drag.