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400 BCE
Aeolipile
Around 400 B.C. Archytas made wooden flying pigeon. The bird was suspended on wires and stem propelled the bird. 100 years later Hero of Alexandria invented a similar device named Aeolipile, which also used stem to propel the object. -
Jan 1, 1232
Flying Arrows
Chinese used the first true rockets named,"arrows of flying fire", in the war against mongols. The arrows of fire were a solid-propellant rocket. On one end of the tube shaped rocket there was a component for gunpowder. On the other side was a long stick stuck into the tube, the stick acted like a guidance system keeping the rocket in on general direction. -
Jan 1, 1300
Rocket experiments
Between the 13th century and 15th century many people were experimenting rockets and how to improve them. In England monk Roger Bacon increased the range of rockets by working with improved forms of gunpowder. In France, Jean Froissart tested launching rockets through tubes, which lead to accurate flights. This was the beginning idea for bazookas. -
Rocket becomes a science
In the 17th century scientific foundations for modern rocketry were laid. Willem Gravesande propelled model cars with jets of steam, later an Englishman William Hale, developed spin stabilization. This technique used escaping gases stuck in the small vanes at the bottom of the rocket, making the rocket spin, just like a bullet does with it launches. -
Idea of space exploration
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian school teacher proposed the idea of taking rockets into the skies. Furthermore he proposed the idea of sing liquid propellants in rockets to achieve a greater range. -
First successful flight
Robert H. Goddard experimented with various types of solid fuels to measure the exhaust velocities of the burning gases. Goddard believed that using liquid fuel would help propel the rocket better. in March 16, 1926 Robert Goddard launched the first successful flight with a liquid- propellant rocket, fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline the rocket flew 2.5 seconds at a height of 12.5 meters. -
German V-2 rocket
In WW1 the German V-2 rocket was developed to be used against London. It achieved great thrust by burning a mixture of liquid oxygen and alcohol at a rate of about one ton every seven seconds. -
First Artificial satellite
The space race between U.S. and the Soviet Union began. Sputnik 1 was the first satellite in space ever. The satellite had a spherical design with four antenna and weighed 83.6 kilograms. Its primary function was to put a radio transmitter into orbit . The satellite was designed to withhold great amount of pressure so the satellite had multiple shields. -
Moon Rocket
The Saturn V was the rocket to take man to the moon. Saturn V consisted of three stages, liquid-fuel launch vehicle, a capsule with a small propulsion unit for the round trip, and a two stage lunar lander. This was the biggest rocket America has ever built and had the largest rocket booster. The F-1 engine was specifically designed to provide propulsion for the Saturn V rocket.
