| WHAT IS PROPULSION? | ||
Just when the first rocket propulsion systems appeared is unclear. It is known that as far back as the eleventh century the Chinese had developed a simple form of gunpowder for use in fireworks. It is speculated that they also inadvertently created the first rockets. Filling bamboo tubes with their gunpowder, the Chinese would toss them into fires during religious celebrations. Undoubtedly, some of these tubes failed to explode. Instead, the tubes would ‘rocket’ out of the fires, propelled by the gases and sparks produced by the burning gunpowder. |
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