Rockets

 Miller, Ron. Rockets. 2008. 112p. ISBN 978-0-8225-7153-7. Available at 621.43 MIL on the library shelves.

Nothing conjures modernity, science, and technological exploit like rockets do. Even an expression displays the respect that we have for rockets: "It's not rocket science." Many consider rockets to be the ultimate man-made object, able to break us free from the confines of gravity. They assume, wrongly, that rockets only appeared in the waning day of the Second World War. 

In fact, rockets have long been a part of human history. Igniting powder, used with deadly effectiveness in firearms, was first discovered in China more than two millenia ago. When packed in a small container and ignited, this powder would propel the container in the opposite direction and explore. At first primitive rockets were used to send fireworks in the sky, but the Chinese soon adopted them for warfare, hurling hundreds of rockets at their enemies. The lack of precision and improvement in firearms and artillery soon led the rocket to fade from military usefulness.

A new use for rockets was found on board ships, where they could be used to signal for help. Military scientists created ship-based weapon systems, since rockets do not recoil. These types of rockets were famously used in the War of 1812, inspiring Francis Scott Key's poem that eventually became the American national anthem:

    And the rockets' red glare
    the bombs bursting in air,
    gave proof, through the night
    that the flag was still there

The lack of a guiding mechanism and further advances in artillery led rockets to once again fade from view. In the 1920s, experiments were conducted, and new rockets were designed that included better engines, guiding systems, and the ability to carry a payload. The Germans pioneered the use of rockets as flying bombs, sending V-1s and V-2s in English cities in the latter part of the war. Scientists and their research were captured by American and Russian troops, and the cold war soon saw the rise of missiles and a space race. Better rockets were developed, and humans were sent to space.

The history of rockets is worth reading. One of the easiest engine to build, rockets took time to evolve into reliable vehicles, and even now they continue to fascinate as humanity ponders a return to the Moon and onward to Mars.