How many tests were needed for the engine that powered the first stage of
Ariane 5
?
276
The universe
Rockets carry satellites and people into space. A
rocket burns fuel to produce a jet of gas. The hot
gas expands rapidly and is blasted downwards
causing a force (the thrust) to push the rocket up.
Rockets
Birth of the rocket
The first liquid-fuelled rocket was
launched in 1926 by an American,
Robert Goddard. It reached 12.5 m
(41 ft). The flight lasted 2.5 seconds.
Vostok 1
spaceship
On return, Yuri Gagarin
parachuted from the
Vostok 1
capsule 7 km
(just over 4 miles) above
the ground.
First in space
The first person in space was
the Russian cosmonaut, Yuri
Gagarin. He was sent up in
Vostok 1
on April 12, 1961 for
a 108-minute flight.
Launch of the
Long March 2C
rocket from the
Jiuquan Space
Centre, China, on
August 19, 1983.
Its main cargo was
a photographic
imaging satellite.
A nose cone, or fairing,
reduces air resistance
as the rocket takes off.
Long March 2C
was 35.1 m (115 ft) long and 3.3 m (11 ft) wide.
