History of Space Flight

Space Exploration Timeline

Early Rockets

The principle of the
rocket has been around
for a long time.

The Chinese used the first rockets, called "Fire Arrows" and were used as weapons to fight Mongol invaders in 1232.

Early Rockets

A rocket produces
movement by burning
fuel. This shoots hot
gases out one end,
sending the rocket in the
other direction.

Since there is no air in space, rockets must
have their own oxygen source. This allows
them to be used for space travel.

In order for burning to
take place, there must
be fuel and oxygen.

Courtesy NASA

Multiple Choice

The first rockets were invented and used by the...

• Chinese

• Russians

• Japanese

• Romans

Multiple Choice

A rocket produces movement by burning fuel. Which energy transformation happens in rockets?

• Chemical Potential Energy into Mechanical Kinetic Energy

• Nuclear Potential Energy into Mechanical Kinetic Energy

• Thermal Kinetic Energy into Elastic Potential Energy

• Electrical Kinetic Energy into Elastic Potential Energy

First Rockets In Space

The first rocket that was
able to fly high enough to
be considered ‘in space’
was the V-2 missile.

The technology was
used for rockets in early
space exploration.

This was a weapon developed
by German scientists in the
Second World War.

First Rocket In Orbit

In 1957, the Soviet Union
launched a rocket that
sent the first human-made
satellite into orbit around
the Earth.

The satellite, named
Sputnik 1, orbited for
57 days before burning
up upon re-entry into
the Earth’s atmosphere.

Multiple Choice

The first rocket that was able to fly high enough to reach "space" was developed by...

• Germany.

• the Soviet Union.

• the United States.

• China.

Multiple Choice

When was the first human-made satellite launched into orbit around Earth?

• 1957

• 1962

• 1934

• 1953

Multiple Choice

The first human-made satellite was launched into space by the Soviet Union and was called____________.

• Sputnik 1

• Spartacus 1

• Voyager 1

• Kosmos 1

First Life In Space

The next question was...
Can humans travel
into space?

Some scientists
believed that life would
not be able to function
during space travel.

It was decided that an
animal would be sent
first to ensure the safety
of the journey.

Just a few weeks after
the successful launch of
Sputnik 1, the Soviet
Union launched another
satellite, Sputnik 2.

Sputnik 2 had a
passenger for its
journey; a dog named
Laika.

First Life In Space

Unlike Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2 had to support
life, therefore it needed:

Unfortunately, Laika did not survive the trip.
However she has her place in history as the
first living thing to orbit the Earth.

First Life In Space

■ An oxygen generator for air

■ A fan to keep Laika cool

■ A harness to keep her safe

■ Enough food for the trip

■ A way of collecting waste

Multiple Choice

Which species of mammal was the first to be sent to space?

• Dog

• Monkey

• Chimpanzee

• Human

Multiple Choice

True or False: Laika survived her trip to space.

• False

• True

First Human In Space

On April 12 1961,
Russian cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin became the
first human in space,
orbiting the Earth once.

Gagarin traveled in a
spacecraft named
Vostok 1.

It was unknown how humans would
react to being in space, so the flight
was controlled from the ground.

Yuri’s Trip

Upon re-entry into the Earth’s Atmosphere,
Gagarin ejected from the craft and
parachuted safely to the ground.

Once the spacecraft had
been successfully
launched, the rocket part
dropped off the craft, and
returned to Earth.

Only the capsule
containing Gagarin was
sent into orbit.

Multiple Choice

How did Yuri Gagarin return to Earth's surface?

• His capsule splash-landed in the ocean.

• He ejected from the craft and parachuted to the surface.

• He didn't. He died.

• His space shuttle landed on a runway, like a plane.

Race To The Moon

In 1969, American astronaut
Neil Armstrong became the
first man to set foot on the
Moon, proclaiming:

The rocket propelled
spacecraft that made the
journey to the Moon was
Apollo 11, as part of NASA’s
Apollo Project.

“That’s one small step
for man, one giant leap
for mankind.”

Courtesy NASA

Courtesy NASA

Back To The Moon

NASA's Artemis missions aim to take humans back to the moon. Artemis 1, completed in December 2022, was an uncrewed test flight circled the moon. Artemis 2 (planned for 2024) will carry humans past the moon, the farthest people have ever been in space. Artemis 3 (planned for 2025), will land humans on the moon. They will spend a week on the moon performing experiments on the surface.

Multiple Choice

The original missions to the moon were part of the __________ project.

• Apollo

• Zeus

• Thor

• Artemis

Multiple Choice

Who was the first human to step on the moon?

• Neil Armstrong

• Buzz Aldrin

• Yuri Gagarin

• Alan Shepard

Multiple Choice

The original missions to the moon were part of the __________ project.

• Apollo

• Zeus

• Thor

• Artemis

Exploration of the Moon and Mars is intertwined. The Moon provides an opportunity to test new tools, instruments and equipment that could be used on Mars, including human habitats, life support systems, and technologies and practices that could help us build self-sustaining outposts away from Earth.

Mission to Mars

Courtesy NASA

NASA is working with companies to address the challenges of living in space, such as using existing resources, options for disposing of trash, and more.

Mission to Mars

Courtesy NASA

Missions to the Moon are about 1,000 times farther from Earth than missions to the International Space Station, requiring systems that can reliably operate far from home, support the needs of human life, and still be light enough to launch. These technologies will become increasingly more important for the long trip to Mars.

Mission to Mars

Courtesy NASA

​This infographic shows the distances between the Earth and the International Space Station as well as the Moon and Mars. It also indicates the communication delay to the Moon and Mars. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Part of the Artemis missions is the establishment of "Gateway", a space outpost orbiting the moon. Living on the Gateway for months at a time also will allow researchers to understand how the human body responds in a true deep space environment before committing to the years-long journey to Mars.

Mission to Mars

Rockets Part 2: How Rockets Move

By Jeffrey Reed

Recap: Newton's Laws

• Issac Newton's three laws of motion are essential to how rockets work

  • Newton's 1st law: An object in motion will continue in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest​ until acted upon by a force

    • Law of Inertia

  • Newton's 2nd law: The force of an object is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration

  • Newton's 3rd law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

What makes a Rocket a Rocket?

• A Rocket is any device that burns some form of fuel, causing extremely hot gases to be expelled from one end

  • Fuel can be solid or liquid

    • Earliest Rockets used steam as fuels

  • As the Fuel leaves the tail end of the rocket, the force from the expulsion pushes the rocket forward​

Launching a Rocket

• In Liquid fuel rockets the fuel is pumped into a combustion chamber with a liquid oxidizer

  • At launch, an ignition ​system provides a spark that causes the mixture to explode

• As the gas is expelled downward, the explosion propels the rocket up

  • Thrust: The downward force that pushes a rocket upwards​

    • In order to launch, thrust must be greater than gravity

Launching a Rocket

• Solid Fueled rockets are much simpler than liquid fuel rockets

  • only need on tank and a combustion chamber

    • Can't be stopped once ignited​

  • Much less efficient than a liquid fuel rocket

    • Mainly used as boosters to liquid fuel rockets

Why can't an airplan fly in space

• Airplanes are built to move by pushing air out of the way.

• Since space is a vacuum, there is no air to push and the plane would just fall

Why can't an airplan fly in space

• Airplanes are built to move by pushing air out of the way.

• Since space is a vacuum, there is no air to push and the plane would just fall

Improving Thrust

• In order to get the most thrust out of a slow moving rocket, the fuel exit needs to be as narrow as possible

  • pressure = force/area

    • Smaller area gives more pressure to work with​

• A fast moving rocket has a wider fuel exit because the fuel is compressed so tightly that once ignited, it already releases at a greater force

  • As the plume leaves the rocket, and enters the high pressure of space, a wide bell allows it to spread out ​and provide more thrust

Multiple Choice

This is The force that acts against gravity in an object

• Drag

• Thrust

• Control

• Weight

• Center of Gravity