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25
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Rocket Timeline
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Most significant rocket developments have taken place in the twentieth century. After 1958, all
entries in this timeline relate to NASA space missions. Provided here are the years in which
new rocket systems were first flown. Additional information about these events can be found in
this guide on the pages indicated by parentheses.
26
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Rockets for Launching
Satellites and Space Probes
27
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
A Titan III Centaur rocket carried Voyager 1,
the first interplanetary spacecraft to fly by
both Jupiter and Saturn, into space on
September 5, 1975. The Titan, a U.S. Air
Force missile, combined with NASA's
Centaur upper stage and two additional
side-mounted boosters, provided the
needed thrust to launchVoyager.
28
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Rockets for Sending Astronauts
Into Space
29
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Used to lift Apollo spacecraft to Earth orbit,
the nearly 70-meter-tall Saturn 1B rocket
carries the Apollo 7 crew on October 11,
1968. Saturn 1B rockets also transported
crews for Skylab (1973-74) and Apollo/
Soyuz missions (1975).
Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young rode to
orbit inside a Gemini spacecraft mounted at
the top of this Titan rocket. The spacecraft
reached an orbit ranging from 161 to 225
kilometers on March 23, 1965.
30
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
The 111-meter-high Saturn 5 rocket
carried the Apollo 11 crew to the
Moon.
31
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Today, NASA Astronauts launch into space onboard the Space Shuttle. The Shuttle consists
of a winged orbiter that climbs into space as a rocket, orbits Earth as a satellite, and lands on a
runway as an airplane. Two recoverable solid rocket boosters provide additional thrust and an
expendable external tank carries the propellants for the orbiter's main engines. This was the
launch of STS-53 on December 2, 1992.
32
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
Concepts for Future Vehicles
The launch vehicles on this and the next page are
ideas for future reusable launch vehicles. Most are
variations of the winged Space Shuttle orbiter.
33
Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ
The X-34 is a reusable booster concept
that could lead to larger vehicles in the
future. This rocket would launch from a
carrier aircraft to deliver a payload to orbit.
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Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-1999-06-108-HQ