![]() The first vehicle launched into space was Sputnik, which the Soviet Union shot into orbit in October 1957. Spacecraft and spaceflight missions fall into three main categories: human spaceflight, Earth-focused spaceflight, and astronomical and planetary spaceflight. But because he was reclusive he did not pass many of his accomplishments on to others and did not train younger engineers how to build rockets this may have slowed the progress of rocketry in the United States. He was the first person to research liquid-fueled rockets and developed several gasoline-fueled experimental rockets that he fired at a test range near Roswell, New Mexico. Unlike Oberth and Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard was more of a hands-on engineer than a theoretician. Both men's writings influenced many people, particularly in their own countries, to believe that spaceflight was possible. Oberth and Tsiolkovsky were largely theorists, writing about orbits and the possibility of space travel. All three worked in relative isolation from each other during the early part of the 20th century. Three people are generally considered the fathers of modern spaceflight-Austrian Hermann Oberth, Russian Igor Tsiolkovsky, and American Robert Goddard. Photo courtesy of NASA: MSFC Center Number: 6863092 GRIN DataBase Number: GPN-2000-000045 Wernher von Braun stands in front of a Saturn IBM launch vehicle at Kennedy Space Flight Center. After obtaining their knowledge, the Soviets confined them to Germany and allowed them to conduct only non-rocket research.ĭr. The Soviet Union also used German rocket experts, but did not incorporate these people into their own space program. When the war ended, hundreds of German rocket experts came to the United States and were instrumental in developing the American space program. In World War II the Germans succeeded in inventing rockets that could be guided to more distant targets with rough accuracy (the ability to hit city-sized targets 100 or more miles away). In the 20th century engineers began developing liquid-fueled rockets and guidance systems. A major problem was that these early rockets used solid propellants, which lacked much power, and they were unguided, meaning that they rarely hit their target. They were also used for peaceful purposes such as for launching life-saving equipment from shore into the water to rescue sailors. The British and other Europeans used rockets in the 19th century for military purposes. ![]() Interest in rockets goes back to ancient times when the Chinese used rockets that burned solid fuel for entertainment and for warfare. ![]() Photo courtesy of NASA-GRIN DataBase Number: GPN-2000-001180 White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, effectively setting himself adrift in the zero gravity of space.
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