The Chinese made the first ‘rockets’ about 1,000 years ago, but they were more like fireworks than today’s space rockets. They were flaming arrows that were fired from a basket using gunpowder.
Amazing! You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to build rockets. Lots of people make mini rockets as a hobby. There is even a yearly contest, when people show off their latest creations!
Is it true? Thrust SSC is a rocket-powered car.
No. Thrust SSC, the fastest car, has two jet engines. A jet engine could not power a space mission, because it needs air and there’s no air in space.
When did the first liquid-fuel rocket fly?
In 1926, American Robert Goddard launched a 3.5 metre long rocket. It flew about as high as a two-storey house, nowhere near outer space, and landed 56 metres away. The flight lasted just two-and-a-half seconds.
Who built a rocket for war?
Wernher von Braun invented the V2, a rocket missile used by the Germans in World War II. After the war, von Braun moved to the United States, to help with the new American space programme.
Picture Credit : Google