Rocket Propulsion

The first use of a true rocket

Mar 21, 1232

The Chinese were the creators of this rocket. This rocket contained a tube, which was closed on one end and open on another, that was attached to a long stick. Inside the tube was gunpowder which produced fire, smoke, and gas that escaped and provided a thrust once the gunpowder was ignited.

Johann Schmidlap creates the step rocket

Mar 21, 1500

A German fireworks maker wanted to make a way to get the fireworks to reach higher altitudes, so he created the step rocket. It works by having two rockets together and having the first rocket propel until burned out and then the second rocket took over. This design is the origin for all rockets that go to outer space.

William Hale improves rocket accuracy

Mar 21, 1812

Back in the 1700s and 1800s rockets were not very accurate. Englishman William Hale designed a rocket where the gas would escape through tubes at certain angles that would make the rocket spin as fast as a bullet.

Space exploration

Mar 21, 1898

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky first proposed the idea of space exploration by rocket. He suggested using liquid propellants for the fuel to acheive greater range and speed.

First successful flight with a liquid propellant rocket

Mar 16, 1926

This rocket was created by Robert Goddard and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline. The rocket only climed 12.5 meters and landed 56 meters away; however, it was the beginning of a new era in rocket creation.

The development of the V2 rocket

Mar 21, 1937

This rocket was created by the Germans during WWII and is fueled by burning a mixture a liquid oxygen and alcohol at a rate of one ton per every seven seconds.

First use of a rocket to send something into space

Mar 21, 1957

Russia's Sputnik was the first earth satellite. It was made a satellite by a rocket sending it into space. It was fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene.

Russian Luna 1

Mar 21, 1959

Luna 1 was the first rocket to fly past the moon. The Luna 1 rocket was an improved version of the step rocket where, at launch, there were multiple large rockets that propelled and then detached from the spacecraft once it reached space.

First space shuttle launched by NASA

Mar 21, 1981

Space Shuttle Columbia became the first re-usable space craft. The rocket used to launch it into space was an improved version of the step rocket and was fueled by a hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen.

A rocket launched to go to Jupiter

Mar 21, 2011

A spacecraft named Juno was sent to go to Jupiter on a five year journey. The rocket that it was sent off on is a step rocket that is fueled by Hydrazine and used Nitrogen Tetraoxide as oxidizer.