history of rocket

Historay

The oldest known depiction of rocket arrows, from the Huolongjing. The right arrow reads 'fire arrow' (huo jian), the middle is an 'dragon shaped arrow frame' (long xing jian jia), and the left is a 'complete fire arrow' (huo jian quan shi). The 'divine fire arrow screen' from the Huolongjing. A stationary arrow launcher that carries one hundred fire arrows. It is activated by a trap-like mechanism, possibly of wheellock design. A "nest of bees" (yi wo feng 一窩蜂) arrow rocket launcher as depicted in the Wubei Zhi. So called because of its hexagonal honeycomb shape. A hwacha manual from the 16th century The first rockets may have appeared as early as the 10th century Song dynasty China, however more solid documentary evidence does not appear until the 13th century. The technology probably spread across Eurasia in the wake of the Mongol invasions of the mid-13th century. Usage of rockets as weapons prior to modern rocketry is attested in China, Korea, India, and Europe. One of the first recorded rocket launchers is the "wasp nest" fire arrow launcher produced by the Ming dynasty in 1380. In Europe rockets were also used in the same year at the Battle of Chioggia. The Joseon kingdom of Korea made use of a type of mobile multiple rocket launcher known as the "Munjong Hwacha" by 1451. Iron cased rockets, known as Mysorean rockets, were developed in Kingdom of Mysore by the late 15th century and were later copied by the British.

The later models and improvements were known as the Congreve rocket and used in the Napoleonic Wars. Use of liquid propellants instead of gunpowder greatly improved the effectiveness of rocket artillery in World War I, and opened up the possibility of manned spaceflight after 1918.