Rockets

The Chinese were the first civilization to use rockets, the first self propelled flying object, before the Aerial Screw, hot air balloons, and airplanes. However, it wasn't until about 1000 years later that rockets started to visit space, and for centuries rockets were only used to signal, projection, and as weapons.
The Chinese weren't the only civilization to use rockets, but they were the first. As rocketry spread to Europe, they were only used as weapons, and some rockets were even used to hunt whales.





It wasn't until the 20th century that people began to understand how rockets worked and had enough knowledge to create advanced technology.





In 1926, A United States Physicists, Dr. Robbert Goddard he launched the first liquid rocket 41 feet. In Germany, Wernher von Braun worked on a V-2 missile and came to the U.S. after World War II. The U.S. began working on satellites in 1955, but in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite Sputnik I, and two months later, they launched Sputnik II, carrying a dog in it.





Soon the U.S. launched their own satellite Explorer I, and replaced N.A.C.A. with N.A.S.A. in 1958. In 1958, project Mercury began with the first American in space. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy promised to have a man on the moon before the end of the decade.





Project Gemini was a series of space flights to prepare to land a man on the moon, and Project Apollo was the final step to land a man on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon.




























The International Space station Mir was the first space station. Mir was operated by both the Soviet Union and the United States that demonstrated international cooperation. The U.S. space station Skylab proved that humans can survive in space for long periods of time.





In 1981, the Space Shuttle was used for space travel. It is a reusable space transportation system (STS) that was used to conduct scientific experiments, to launch satellites, and to house astronauts. The Space Shuttle Program (which is now retired) was also used to transport parts and people to the International Space Station.(ISS)































The ISS has sixteen countries working on it:the United States, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Norway and Denmark. It was completed in 2004 and conducts scientific experiments.