Rockets and their parachutes are an amazing part of life and are vitally important to space travel. There are many uses for rockets. The parachutes on rockets are also important. Different rockets take more time to fall. The shape of parachutes and the time it takes for rockets to reach the ground are necessary components to understanding rockets.
There are three kinds of rockets. Liquid fuel rockets have two containers for fuel and oxidizers and a combustion chamber that the fuel and oxidizer ignite in. Hypergolic rockets are the same as liquid fuel rockets, except the fuels burn on contact with each other, so there is no igniter. Solid fuel rockets are a fuel and oxidizer in one with a burning area down the whole rocket (Couper 56). Therefore, there are many kinds of rockets available for use in space.
Space shuttles use many rockets, but there is usually a certain set-up. There are three main liquid or hypergolic rockets at the bottom of the shuttle. There are two solid fuel boosters on the side of the shuttle, which are dropped after leaving the atmosphere. The large tank on the front holds the fuel and oxidizers for the main engines. There are also small engines used for maneuvering in space on the shuttle (Macaulay 162-163). Moreover, without rockets there could be no space flight.
Rockets were first invented in China. In 1231 A.D., a Chinese town, Kaifeng, used rockets to fight off Mongols. A witness wrote that the rockets were, "fiery arrows that made a noise like thunder and traveled great distances" (qtd. in Fox 23). Rockets were not explained fully until Sir Isaac Newton made his laws of motion in the 17th century (Fox 23). Isaac Newton was not from China, where rockets were invented, but was one of the most significant rocket experts.
Isaac Newton's laws of motion were vital for rockets and parachutes. The first law states, "Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion...