Rockets

Where were rockets invented?

The rocket as far as can be established, was invented by the Chinese during the 12^th and 13^th Century. The Chinese used their rockets as fireworks to mark special celebrations. A rocket has no moving parts. It is fuel-filled container with a hole at one end where the exhaust or gases escapes with such force that they propel the rocket in the direction in which it is pointed.

Rockets were used as weapons in the East until the 18^th Century. Sir William Congreve added improvements in his artillery rocket, which was used in the American War of Independence and in the Napoleonic Wars. Rockets fell out of use in the 19^th Century but were revived in the First World War.

Their peaceful use as line-carriers in sea recues and as distress signals is well known. They are also used to deliver mail and to aid aeroplane take-off.

There are two categories of rocket fuel: liquid and solid. Also, rockets which are used outside the earth’s atmosphere must carry their own oxygen or they would be unable to get a “burn”. The space rockets carry both liquid and solid fuel. Some burn at least 1,000 pounds of fuel a second. Control of rocket is carried out by required in directing the exhaust gases to maintain the correct flight path.

The Germans developed the rocket in the 1930s and used it in the V1 and V2 weapons which were directed at London in the Second World War.

Since the enormous advances have been made by technicians and scientists working all over the world, culminating in the rockets as tall as small skyscrapers and weighing thousands of tons, which are used in the exploration of space.