The document discusses the history of rocketry and space exploration from the 1100s in China to modern times. It covers early rocket development in China, Britain, Germany, the Soviet space race including Sputnik and early lunar and planetary missions. It then discusses US achievements like Apollo moon landings and early planetary probes. The text outlines milestones in space stations, orbital telescopes and planetary rovers. It concludes with notes on the challenges of space debris.

1. Exploration of Space

2. Rockets HistoryChina 1100sFlaming arrowsBritish 1812MilitaryGermany WWIIV2 (England)

3. RocketryForcesThrustExploding gas VelocityForward motion of rocketOrbital velocity (Force need to orbit Earth)Escape velocity (Force need to leave Earth)40,200 Km per hour or 11 Km per second

4. Stages

5. Space RaceSputnik 1 (1957) USSRFirst object to be in orbitLuna 1 (1959) USSRFirst object to fly by moonVenera 1 (1961) USSRFirst to fly by Venus

6. Space RaceMariner 4 (1964) USAFirst to fly by MarsLuna 9 (1966) USSRFirst moon landingApollo 8 (1968) USAFirst Human fly by moonApollo 11 (1969) USAFirst Human on MoonNeil Armstrong

7. Space RaceVenera 7 (1970) USSRFirst Venus LandingMars 3 (1971) USSRFirst Mars LandingApollo 15 (1971) USAFirst vehicle on Moon

8. Space RacePioneer 10 (1972) USAFirst spacecraft to JupiterPioneer 11 (1973) USAFirst to SaturnSkylab (1973-1979) USAFirst orbiting space stationMariner 10 (1975) USAFirst to visit Mercury

9. Space RaceHelios 2 (1976) USA/Germany43 million Km of SunVoyager 2 (1977) USAUranus & Neptune (1989)ICE (1978) USAComet Tail

10. Space RaceSpace Shuttle (1983-2011)Reusable spacecraft

11. Space RaceVega/Sakigake/Giotto/Suisei (USSR/Japan/Europe)1985All fly to Halley’s cometMir (1986-2001) USSRLargest space stationHubble Space Telescope (1990) USA/EuropeFirst High resolution telescope in orbit

12. Space RaceNEAR (1996) USAAsteroids and cometsMars Pathfinder (1997) USAFirst rover on a planetCassini/Huygens (1997) Europe/USASaturn system and Titan moon

13. Space RaceInternational Space Station (1998-2020) “World”(50 People visited = up to 6 at a time)Can be seen by unaided eye at night

14. Space RaceMars Rovers (2003) USASpirit & Opportunity (still driving on Mars)New Horizons (2006) USAVisit Pluto/Charon

15. Space Debris20,000 large objects > 4 in2007 China shoots down satellite (massive debris)Feb 2009 Two satellites collide by accident