Development of Rocket Industry overtime
Table of Contents
Invention of Rockets 1
1.1 Birth of Gunpowder 2
1.2 Invention of Rockets 3
Development of Rockets 4
2.1.1 During 16th Century to Early 18th Century 5
th th
2.1.2 During 18 Century to 19 Century
2.1.3. During 20th Century to present 6
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Development of Rocket Industry overtime
1. Invention of Rockets
[Link] of Gunpowder.
Gun powder well known as “Black powder”, one of the four most important inventions of
The China. It is the earliest chemical explosive to be found by mankind. Gun powder was
invented during the 9th Century B.C. It consist of a mixture of Sulphur, Charcoal(as Carbon),
and Saltpeter (as Potassium Nitrate.) Sulphur and Carbon acts as fuel while Potassium
Nitrate acts as the Oxidizer of the invention.
Gun powder was firstly invented for “Medical” purposes by Taoists. Then they were used
for warfare during AD 904. However usage of gunpowder on Military purposes are
decreasing due to the usage of Cordite and Ballistae and many more smokeless explosives.
It might not be popular among people today but, if it wasn’t for this great invention the
History of “Man and the Moon” might have been left as an unopened book.
Fig.2 – Invention of the Gunpowder
Fig.1 – Chemistry of Gunpowder
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Development of Rocket Industry overtime
1.2. Invention of Rockets
Finding the “Life” in other planets became essential in 21st Century, due to the rapid
increase in Human Population. Many scientists from various countries are working together
to give a solution to this problem. Rockets became a vital item in this process.
Rockets first came to attract public eye in late 18th and early 19th Century. The four greatest
inventions made by China were “Papermaking, Gunpowder, Compass and Printing”. Out of
these, gunpowder played a big role in the invention of rockets. Chinese inventors started
experimenting gunpowder filled in tubes, then eventually they attached this tube filled
with gunpowder to an arrow. Then the arrows were tested in big fields. They came to
realize that, this arrow can cover a long distance due to the gas produced by the
gunpowder. This is typically the first ever rocket made. However when these fire-propelled
rockets were invented has not been discovered yet.
After these “Fire-Propelled Arrows”, in 1591 Johann Schmidlap, a German Firework Maker,
invented the first ever two stage rocket. It contained a large sky rocket (first stage) and a
smaller rocket (second stage).
Fig.3 – Two stage Rocket by Johann Schmidlap
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2. Development of Rocket
2.1.1. Development Rockets During 16th Century to Early 18th Century
After the rockets were invented, they became famous in Europe around 15 th Century
and Mongols are hold accounted for this. By the 16th century rockets became a
weapon during wars and were used for firework display. “The Step Rocket”, a multi -
staged vehicle for lifting fireworks to higher altitudes, was invented by a German
firework maker around this time. 17th Century takes a special place when talking
about rocket history as laws of famous scientist Sir Isaac Newton played a big part in
understanding the rocket mechanism. This improved the understanding of scientists
on designing a rocket. Model cars propelled by jets steam are invented around 1720
by a Dutch professor, Willem Gravesande. Rocket mechanists or rocket
experimenters, as of how they were known during that time, in Russia were testing
rockets with higher mass during this period of time.
2.1.2. Development in Rockets During 18th Century and Late 19th Century
Congreve rockets were invented during this era by a British Inventor Sir William
Congreve. The design of the rocket is an improved version of rockets that were used
during the Anglo-Mysore War. The technology was passed on to British after the
death of Tipu Sultan which caused Mysore to become a British colony. The
developed version of Anglo-Mysore rockets or Congreve rockets were highly
successful in war, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the line in the poem “The
Star – Spangled Banner”, “The rockets’ red glare”.
However the case was that the accuracy of the rockets were not the best. The
reason behind the successful nature of rockets in war was the number of rockets
that were fired at once, not the overall accuracy of the rocket. This was the focus of
rocket scientists during this time. British scientist, William Hale, discovered a
mechanism called “Spin Stabilization” where the escaping exhaust gases struck small
vanes at the bottom of the rocket. This cause the rocket to spin at a velocity that is
similar to that of a bullet does in flight.
Rockets were still massively successful in war, except the Austrian – Prussian war
Fig.4 – Congreve Rocket
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Development of Rocket Industry overtime
2.1.3. Development of Rockets from 20th Century to Present.
This is known as the “Golden Era” of rocket development. During late 19 th / early 20th
century, the idea of space exploration by rockets was raised by a Russian named
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. He was after called the “Father of Modern Astronautics”
because of his statement “that the speed and range of a rocket were limited only by
the exhaust velocity of escaping gases” alongside his research and great vision.
During early 20th century, Sir Robert H. Goddart conducted an experiment due to his
interest in a way of achieving higher altitudes, even more than those of object that
are lighter than Hot Air Balloons. He released a pamphlet in 1919, which is now
known as the meteorological sounding rocket.
Fig.5 – Early Experiments by [Link]
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Development of Rocket Industry overtime
Here’s a list of achievements made in the 20th Century with the use of rockets.
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