1835 AD -
Edgar Allen Poe describes a lunar voyage in a balloon in Lunar Discoveries, Extraordinary Aerial Voyage by Baron Hans Pfaall. August 25: Richard Adams Locke publishes his "Moon Hoax." He publishes a week-long serial in the New York Sun, as if written by Sir John Herschel, discoverer of Uranus, about moon creatures. This was under the title, Great Astronomical Discoveries Lately Made By Sir John Herschel.
1837 AD -
Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Mädler publish a map of the moon using the telescope at Beer's observatory.
1841 -
C. Golightly was granted the first patent in England for a rocket-airplane.
1846 AD -
Urbain Leverrier discovers Neptune.
1865
Jules Verne published his novel, entitled From the Earth to the Moon.
1883
Tsiolkovsky's Free Space was published by Tsiolkovsky who describes a rocket that functioned in a vacuum under Newton's Action-Reaction" laws of motion.
1895
Tsiolkovsky published a book on space exploration which was entitled Dreams of the Earth and the Sky.
1901
H.G. Wells published his book, The First Man in the Moon, in which a substance with anti-gravity properties launched men to the moon.
1903
Tsiolkovsky produced a work entitled Exploring Space with Devices. Within, he discussed the applications of liquid propellants.
1909
Robert Goddard, in his study of fuels, determined that liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen would serve as an efficient source of propulsion, when properly combusted.
1911
Russian Gorochof published plans for a reaction airplane which operated on crude oil and compressed air for fuel.
1914
Robert Goddard was granted two U.S. patents for rockets using solid fuel, liquid fuel, multiple propellant charges, and multi-stage designs.
1918
November 6-7, Goddard fired several rocket devices for representatives of the U.S. Signal Corps, Air Corps, Army ordinance and other assorted guests, at the Aberdeen proving grounds.
1919
Robert Goddard wrote, and then submitted A Method of Attaining Extreme Altitudes, to the Smithsonian Institution for publication.
1923
Herman Oberth published The Rocket into Interplanetary Space in Germany creating discussion on the technology of rocket propulsion.
1924
Tsiolkovsky conceived the idea of multi-stage rockets, and discussed them for the first time in Cosmic Rocket Trains. A Central Committee for the Study of Rocket Propulsion was established in the Soviet Union, in April.
1925
The Attainability of Celestial Bodies, by Walter Hohmann, described the principles involved in interplanetary flight.
1926
March 16:
Robert Goddard tested the world's first successful
liquid-fueled rocket, in Auburn, Massachusetts. It attained a height of 41 feet in 2.5 seconds, and it came to rest 184 feet from the launch pad.
1927
Enthusiasts in Germany formed the Society for Space Travel.
Hermann Oberth was among the first several members to join. Die Rakete, a rocket publication, began in Germany.
1928
The first of nine volumes of an encyclopedia on interplanetary travel was published by Russian Professor Nikolai Rynin. In April, the first manned, rocket-powered, automobile was tested by Fritz von Opel, Max Valier and others, in Berlin, Germany. In June, the first manned flight in a rocket-powered glider was achieved. Friedrich Stamer was the pilot, and flew about one mile. Launch was achieved by an elastic launch rope and a 44 pound thrust rocket, then a second rocket fired while airborne.
Hermann Oberth began acting as consultant to Film Director Fritz Lang's Girl in the Moon and built a rocket for premiere publicity. The rocket exploded on the launch pad.
1929
Hermann Oberth published his second book about space travel, and one chapter included the idea of an electric space ship. On July 17, Robert Goddard launched a small 11 ft. rocket which carried a small camera, barometer and thermometer which were recovered after the flight. In August, many small
solid-propellant rockets were attached to Junkers-33 seaplane, and were used to achieve the first recorded jet-assisted airplane take-off.
1930
In April, The American Rocket Society was founded in New York City by David Lasser, G. Edward Pendray, and ten others for the purpose of promoting interest in space travel. December 17th marked the establishment of a rocket program Kummersdorf. It was also decided that the Kummersdorf proving grounds would be equipped to develop military missiles. On December 30th,
Robert Goddard fired an 11 foot
liquid fueled rocket, to a height of 2000 feet at a speed of 500 miles per hour. The launch took place near Roswell New Mexico.
