A Pictorial History of Rockets

The powerful space rockets we see today are the product of more than 2,000 years of invention, experimentation, and discovery. Early progress came from simple observation and imagination; later, careful, methodical research built the true foundations of modern rocketry.

Building on this 2,000-year history, new rockets will extend human presence in space back to the Moon and to Mars. These new vehicles will be versatile, supporting missions close to home—like the International Space Station in Earth orbit—as well as missions millions of kilometers away. Travel to the stars is already underway: robotic spacecraft are moving into interstellar space right now, and human explorers may someday follow them.

Many early rocket pioneers are largely forgotten today, yet they "pushed the envelope" by building rocket-powered devices for use on land, at sea, in the air, and eventually in space. Once scientists uncovered the fundamental principles governing motion, rockets evolved from toys and novelties into serious tools for trade, warfare, travel, and research. This evolution eventually led to some of the most remarkable discoveries of modern times.

The short stories that follow offer a sampling from the long history of rockets. Together, they form a timeline highlighting major breakthroughs as well as interesting side stories. Sometimes one story leads directly into the next; other times, a story is simply an intriguing detour from the main path. Each one reflects the ideas and inspiration that eventually allowed humanity to take its first steps into outer space. NASA's new SLS (Space Launch System), along with commercial launch systems and the rockets still to come, owes much of its success to the achievements described here.