Rocketry

First Rockets

Jan 1, 1000

By 1000 China has used rockets extensively

Naval Weapon

Jan 1, 1368

China first uses rockets as a naval weapon

Rocket Propulsion

Sep 17, 1687

English physicist Isaac Newton developed the scientific principle on which rocket propulsion is based on.

Indian Rockets

Sep 17, 1780

In the late eighteenth century, when Indian forces used rockets to defeat the British in a number of battles, interest in rocketry was rekindled. The Indian rockets weighed 6 to 12 pounds (2.2 to 2.5 kilograms) and could travel between 1.0 and 1.5 miles (1.6 and 2.4 kilometers). Whereas a single rocket seldom hit its target, rockets in large numbers caused a lot of damage.

Congreve Rockets

Sep 17, 1804

In 1804, British army officer William Congreve (1772-1828) developed a metal-cased, stick-guided rocket that could travel 2,000 to 3,000 yards (1,829 and 2,743 meters).

War of 1812

Sep 17, 1812

The British would use the incendiary rocket during the siege of a city or during a naval engagement. The warhead of the incendiary rocket was filled with sticky, flammable material that quickly started fires when it impacted in an enemy city or in the rigging of an enemy sailing ship.

Wind Tunnel

Sep 18, 1897

In 1897 Tsiolkovsky constructed the first wind tunnel in Russia, which he explained in the article "Air Pressure on Surfaces Introduced into an Artificial Air Flow."

Rocket Math Formulas

Feb 1, 1923

German physicist Hermann Oberth launched the field of rocketry bound for space in Germany. In 1923, he published the basic mathematical formulas fundamental to rocket space flight.

Rocket Propelled Car

Mar 23, 1928

Engineer Fritz von Opel develops the first rocket propelled car.

Rocket Propelled Airplane

Sep 30, 1929

Engineer Fritz von Opel develops the first rocket propelled airplane.

Apollo 11

Jul 16, 1969

First manned moon landing

Columbia

Apr 12, 1981

John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen took the space shuttle Columbia into orbit for a flight lasting more than two days.

ISS

Nov 2, 2000

First Crew reaches ISS

Orion

Sep 19, 2005

September 19, 2005, Michael Griffin, the NASA administrator, introduced a new spacecraft, called Orion, or the crew excursion vehicle (CEV), which will be designed to carry four astronauts to and from the Moon, to support up to six crewmembers on future missions to Mars, and to deliver crew and supplies to the International Space Station.

Mars

Jun 30, 2006

On June 30, 2006, NASA announced the names of the next generation of launch vehicles capable of returning humans to the Moon and eventually sending the first team of explorers to Mars. The crew launch vehicle is called Ares I, and the cargo launch vehicle is called Ares V. NASA officials selected the name "Ares"