The roots of space exploration lie deep in the history of the world.
Ancient astronomers observed points of light that appeared to move among the stars. They called them planets.
Even the first rockets owe their origin to the invention of gunpowder in China (10th Century AD).
Rockets also appear in Arab literature (1258 A.D.); the Mongol invaders used them to capture the city of Baghdad.
Rockets came to the New World during the War of 1812.
Wernher von Braun was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology.
Von Braun was the leader of the “rocket team” which developed the V–2 ballistic missile for the Nazis during World War II.
For 15 years after World War II he worked with the U.S. Army to develop ballistic missiles.
In 1960 Von Braun received the mandate to build the giant Saturn 5 rockets.
So he became the chief architect of the Saturn 5 launch vehicle, the superbooster that would propel Americans to the Moon.
Wernher von Braun is generally regarded as the father of the United States space program.
Since 1959 a golden age of solar system exploration began.
The United States sent robotic spacecraft and human-crewed expeditions to explore the Moon.
Robotic spacecraft have orbited and landed on Venus and Mars, and made close examinations while flying near Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The International Space Station is now orbiting around the Earth. And this is only the beginning...
