The Start of Rocketry
The first recorded account of rockets was in 1232 A.D (above). The Chinese armies used a basic form of gunpowder (to the right) made of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal dust to create explosives for festivals. Bamboo tubes would be filled with the mixture and thrown into a fire. Some of these would not explode, but instead fly out of the fire. Fueled by the gas and sparks that came off of the mixture's reaction to heat.
The Chinese continued to experiment with these tubes. They attached the mechanism onto an arrow and shot them into the air with bows. Eventually, it was discovered that the tube could launch itself by the expelled gas. |