History of Spaceflight

© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.Flight and Space

Chinese Used Rockets in Battle• In 1232 AD the

Chinese used rockets against the Mongols

• An arrow with a tube of gunpowder produced an arrow of flying fire

Historical Discoveries

Johannes Kepler• In 1609 discovered that

the paths of the planets around the Sun are elliptical

• Determined the relative velocity of a planet as it travels around the Sun as well as a method for determining its period (the amount of time it takes to make one orbit)

• Proved that our Sun was the center of the solar system

Kepler’s platonic solid model of the solar system from Mysterium Cosmographicum (1596)

Isaac Newton• In 1687 published a book

that stated his basic laws of motion – these govern the movement of objects on Earth and in space

• Formulated a universal law of gravitation that explains the orbit of objects around stars and planets

• Was a pioneer of calculus, which is a type of mathematics critical for space flight

Historical Discoveries

Sir Isaac Newton - 1702

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky• In 1903 determined the basic equations of rocketry• Rocketry visionary who thought space travel was

possible • Drew pictures of rockets and predicted how the Saturn V

rocket would operate for the first landing of humans on the moon 65 years later

Historical Discoveries

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was a Russian rocket scientist and pioneer of cosmonautics.

Dr. Robert Goddard• The Goddard Space Flight

Center was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard, a pioneer in rocket development.

• By 1926 Goddard had constructed and successfully tested the first rocket using liquid fuel.

Historical Discoveries

German Rocket Experimenters

Rocket Engine

The development of the rocket engine in the 1940s and 1950s provided us with the necessary thrust to break free of the Earth’s gravity and thus enter space.

USSR launches Sputnik 1

• Sputnik 1• The Russians

launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, on October 4,1957.

• Sputnik traveled 500 miles above the Earth’s surface, flying at 18,000 miles an hour.

• Sputnik circled the globe every 96 minutes. It flew over the U.S. seven times a day.

USA launches Vanguard

March 1958

Americans successfully launch a man-made satellite.

USSR – Yuri Gagarin

• First person to orbit the earth• April 12, 1961• Demonstrated that the Soviets were ahead

in the space race with the U.S.

USA – John Glenn

• First American to orbit the earth

• Completed three orbits on February 20, 1962, aboard Friendship 7

USSR – Valentina Tereshkova

• First woman in space• First “ordinary” person in

space• Textile worker and

amateur parachuter who became a cosmonaut

• June 1963 spent 71 hours orbiting Earth 48 times in capsule Sea Gull

First Manned Mission to the Moon

First Landing on the Moon

Kennedy’s Speech

May 25, 1961

8 Years Later . . .

Apollo 11

July 20, 1969

Manned Spaceflight

Space shuttle - a re-usable rocket vehicle with short wings that allow it to land on a runway like an airplane.

Manned Spaceflight

Space stations -intended for long-term residence

International Space Station (ISS)

Unmanned Spaceflight• Satellites that observe our Sun, the

solar system, or the universe

• Satellites that observe the Earth from above for scientific, military, and commercial purposes

• Satellites that sample their local environment

• Satellites used for the benefit of humanity

• Spacecraft that are not tied to Earth's gravitational field but explore other planets

“Living” on the Moon

“Living” on the Moon

Image ResourcesNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (June 2009).

Great images in NASA. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://grin.hq.nasa.gov

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2009). A timeline of rocket history. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/

Star Child (n.d.). Valentina Tereshkova. Retrieved January 4, 2010, from http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/tereshkova.html

Teach Engineering. (2006). Destination outer space. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://teachengineering.org