Rockets in Ancient TimesThe first rocket-like device was invented around 100 BC by a Greek called the Hero of Alexandria. This device was called an aeolipile. It consisted of a sphere mounted on a kettle. A fire under the kettle turned the water into steam, which then traveled through the tubes to the sphere and was expelled through two L-shaped tubes that caused the sphere to rotate. Hero Engine When rockets as we know them were first invented is not known. The earliest date we know that true rockets were used was the year 1232, however it is thought possible that the Chinese had primitive rocket-like devices before this. At that time the Chinese were at war with the Mongols. During one of the battles, the Battle of Kai-Keng, the Chinese managed to repel the Mongol invaders using "flying fire arrows". These incendiary arrows were a simple form of a solid fuel rocket. A tube, capped at one end, was filled with gunpowder. The other end was left open and the tube was attached to a long stick. When the powder was ignited, the rapid burning of the powder produced fire, smoke, and gases that escaped from the open end and produced thrust. The stick served as a simple guidance system that kept the rocket headed in a general direction as it flew through the air. It is unclear how effective these flying fire arrows were as weapons of destruction, but their psychological effects on the Mongols were probably quite great. Chinese Fire Arrows There were many accounts of missile experiments from the 13th to the 15th century. For example, "According to an ancient legend, a Chinese official named Wan-Hoo attempted a flight to the moon using a large wicker chair to which were attached 47 large rockets. Forty-seven assistants, each... half of paper... what destruction devices?” Then he put a dog on a rocket and launched it into orbit. And he thought to himself: "How wonderful! My neighbor's dog will no longer keep me awake at night with his barks!" Finally the man had a brilliant idea. If he can use rockets to send a dog into space, why not that annoying guy three doors down? And so, rockets were used to send a man into space. But he eventually returned, so rockets were used to take man to the moon. This kept him away longer, but he still returned in a short period of time. So the man thought about the situation, and then began using rockets to build a house in space, where he could then send the man for months at a time. And to make him happy they gave him all sorts of scientific experiments to work on and sent him rockets full of food every few weeks. And the man looked at this and called it good.