History of Rocket Propulsion

1591 - First multi-staged rocket

Mar 21, 1591

German fireworks maker Johann Schmidlap invents the two-stage rocket to reach higher altitudes. A large skyrocket (first stage) carries a smaller rocket (second stage).

1942 - V-2 rockets

Mar 21, 1942

Ballistic missiles are developed by German engineers led by Wernher Von Braun during the Second World War. They burn a mixture of oxygen and alcohol at a rate of 1 ton every 7 seconds. This is the first rocket capable of reaching space.

Atlas

Mar 21, 1950

Like the Delta rocket, the Atlas has deep roots. Now in its fifth major configuration, the Atlas was created as a missile in the 1950s. It was adapted to carry John Glenn and three other Mercury astronauts to space and has since been used for many commercial, scientific, and military satellite launches and interplanetary missions. The Atlas V rocket (shown) is the latest in the series.

Delta Family

Oct 4, 1960

With roots going back to the early 1960s, the American Delta rocket is one of the most versatile of the commercial and military payload launch rockets. Delta has many configurations, including multiple stages and heavy-lift strap-on boosters that increase payload capacity to high orbits. The Delta family has logged more than 325 launches, with a success rate exceeding 95 percent.

Freedom 7

Mar 21, 1961

On May 5, 1961, American astronaut Alan Shepherd, Jr., lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, inside his Freedom 7 Mercury space capsule, which sat atop a Redstone rocket. The rocket did not have enough power to send the craft into orbit, and Shepherd made a suborbital flight reaching 187 kilometers (116 miles) before his capsule returned to Earth in an ocean splashdown 15 minutes 22 seconds later.

Sounding Rockets

Mar 21, 1961

Although rockets have generally gotten larger and more powerful,
there are many reasons for flying smaller rockets. The Canadian–
designed Black Brant sounding rocket has been flying since 1961 and has successfully completed over 800 flights carrying small payloads such as cameras, instruments, and microgravity experiments. The Black Brant’s reliability and low cost has made it a favorite of researchers.

X-15

Mar 21, 1968

Between 1959 and 1968, the X-15 experimental aircraft flew to
the edge of space. In 199 flights, the air-launched rocket plane
broke many flight records, including speed (7,274 kph or 4,520
mph) and altitude records (108 kilometers or 67 miles). Test flights established important parameters for attitude control in space and reentry angles. Neil Armstrong, the first American to step on the Moon, was one of twelve X-15 pilots.

1969 - Moon landing

Mar 21, 1969

Apollo 11 is the first space flight to land people on the Moon. Neil Armstrong is the first astronaut to set foot on the Moon. 12 astronauts walk on the Moon during 6 missions. Ed Cernan is the last man to step foot on the Moon in 1972.

April 1981 - First Space Shuttle launch

Mar 21, 1981

NASA launches its first Space Shuttle. These are designed as reusable vehicles that would increase accessibility to orbit. Space Shuttles have been used to place many satellites into orbit and to construct the International Space Station. The final space shuttle was launched in July 2011.

5 August 2011 - Juno launches to Jupiter

Aug 5, 2011

Juno is launched to begin its 5-year journey to Jupiter.