Transcript Lesson 3 - Oklahoma State University–Stillwater

Lesson 3
History of Rockets
Early Rockets
• It is unknown when the first rockets were
developed.
• The Chinese made the first solid propellant
rockets between the 3rd century B.C. and the 1st
century A.D.
• By 1232, the Chinese were using “fire arrows”
in war.
• Due to China’s belief in Yin and Yang, it never
• Understood the action-reaction principle
or process of combustion.
Development
• The Mongols picked up where the Chinese left
off and introduced rockets to the rest of world.
• Rockets quickly became a military tool in many
countries.
• By the 18th century, most European powers used
artillery rockets.
• German fireworks maker, Johann Schmidlap
invented the step rocket now known as
staging.
Development, cont.
• William Hale introduced spin stabilization,
which led to the process of launching instead of
using guide-sticks.
• Hale perfected the use of hydraulic presses and
machine mass-producing of rockets.
• Other applications of rockets including rocket
harpoons and flares.
• Experiments were made to produce rocketpropelled cars and torpedoes.
Advances
• A Russian teacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, wrote
about rockets, including the article “Outside
the Earth” in 1896, which described rockets
with liquid-fuel engines.
• In 1903 he designed a rocket capable of going
into outer space.
• Tsiolokovsky correctly calculated the Earth’s
escape velocity and necessary orbital
velocity.
Liquid-fuel Rockets
• The first liquid-fuel rocket was made in the U.S.
• In World War I, Goddard worked on tube-launched
rockets.
• In a 1919 paper, he mentioned a rocket capable of
reaching the moon.
• On March 16, 1926, the world’s first liquid-rocket
took flight.
• Goddard was awarded 214 patents for his
rockets.
Spreading the Word
• Wernher von Braun, a German scientist under
Walter Dornberger, the head of the German Army’s
rocket projects.
• von Braun helped develop Germany’s A1, A2, A3,
A4, A5 and V-2 rockets.
• von Braun continued to design bigger and better
rockets.
von Braun
• When Allies arrived in Germany during WWI,
German scientists like von Braun fled to the U.S.
or the Soviet Union.
• von Braun came to America.
• Remaining German V-2s were taken by the U.S.
and the Soviet Union after the war. These became
the basis for rocket design and started the space
race.
Space Race
•
•
•
•
Started in White Sands, New Mexico
Tested V-2s and developed new designs.
In 1916, the Vanguard was tested.
The Soviets continued producing V-2s and quickly
adapted technology to produce larger rockets.
• Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first Earthorbiting satellite Sputnik.
• The U.S. entered the race Jan. 31 , 1958
with Explorer I.
Space Race, cont.
• The Soviets advanced in 1959 with Luna 1, 2 and 3
• Luna 2, which launched Sept. 2, 1959, impacted
the moon, while Luna 3 carried the first camera
into space and captured images of the Moon’s lunar
far side.
• April 12, 1961, Vostok I launched and 12 minutes
later, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit
the Earth.
• The U.S. and NASA sent Alan Sheppard into
space in May 1961.
On the Moon
• The U.S. was still led by von Braun when it entered
the Apollo program.
• The first success for the U.S. came on Dec. 21,
1968, when the Saturn V took three astronauts
around the moon on the Apollo 8 mission.
• The Soviets attempted to launch the N1 on Feb. 21,
1969, however, the engine stopped after 65 seconds
and N1 feel to the Earth.
• The Soviets N1 program was grounded by
complications.
On the Moon
• The U.S. was still led by von Braun when it entered
the Apollo program.
• The first success for the U.S. came on Dec. 21,
1968, when the Saturn V took three astronauts
around the moon on the Apollo 8 mission.
• The Soviets attempted to launch the N1 on Feb. 21,
1969, however, the engine stopped after 65 seconds
and N1 feel to the Earth.
• The Soviets N1 program was grounded by
complications.
On the Moon
• The U.S. was still led by von Braun when it entered
the Apollo program.
• The first success for the U.S. came on Dec. 21,
1968, when the Saturn V took three astronauts
around the moon on the Apollo 8 mission.
• The Soviets attempted to launch the N1 on Feb. 21,
1969, however, the engine stopped after 65 seconds
and N1 feel to the Earth.
• The Soviets N1 program was grounded by
complications.
On the Moon, cont.
• On July 16, 1969, another Saturn V took Apollo 11
to the Moon and on July 20, U.S. astronauts walked
the surface of the moon.
• Other countries saw the advantages of space
vehicles and started to develop them.
• NASA experimented with space shuttles.
• Note: To this day, rockets remain liquid-powered.
Sources
• Taken from A Short History of Rockets by Tad
Theno
• Compiled by the Oklahoma State Cooperative
Extension Office