2. THE STORY OF ROCKETS

From the beginning of time, a desire to know what is on the other side of the mountain or beyond the horizon has led man on to exploration and adventure. The inventive genius of man created the prairie schooner and the great sailing ships which carried him farther and farther in his quest.

Even before the surface of the earth had been fully explored, man was curious about the space above it. The invention of the airplane and its first successful flight in 1903 saw the beginning of the exploration of this boundless area.

For many years we were able only to gaze at the moon, the sun, the planets, and the stars in the heavens. Now the development and perfection of huge rocket vehicles will soon make it possible to reach some of these remote places in space.

While the Chinese are generally credited with the invention of the rocket as long ago as 1232 a.d., the rocket as we think of it today was first used in its simplest form in World War II. This was the deadly V-2, which was fired at England from Nazi bases in Europe. The V-2's had no controlling devices to direct them to a particular target. They simply were aimed and fired. When their fuel ran out, they dropped to the ground and their warheads exploded on impact.

Since World War II, great progress has been made in perfecting the rocket, both as a missile of war and for the peaceful exploration of the vast regions above the earth. For war purposes, rockets have been devel­oped that can be fitted with atom- and hydrogen-bomb warheads and can travel great distances to deliver their destruction accurately to pre-selected tar­gets. In the exploration of space, rockets are used to fire instrument-laden satellites into orbit around the earth to record valuable scientific facts. Soon rockets will be used to carry astronauts into space to further satisfy man's curiosity. Our first astronauts will supply the answers to many questions about man's ability to withstand the unfamiliar and strange rigors of space travel.

What was, not long ago, a fanciful dream is now becoming a reality, thanks to rocket power. Within a short time, man will land on the moon and return, and in a few more years, he will be able to visit some of the planets.

The following are some of the famous rocket flights and satellite launchings—their dates and their accom­plishments—that have helped to pave the way for these future adventures in space.

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