Spaceflight and Rocketry: A Chronology is a unique historical reference to the history of rocketry, astronautics and spaceflight through the present day. Beginning with the earliest documented efforts to develop missiles and other apparatus employing combustible gases, author David Baker moves quickly into the 20th century, when the science of rocketry came into its own under the genius of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard and Wernher von Braun.Baker's chronology examines every significant event in the development of rocketry and spaceflight and includes rockets designed for peaceful pursuits such as Earth imaging, telecommunications and astronomical observation, as well as those used for military ends such as ballistic missiles and the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars") program. Baker pays particular attention to space programs that were eventually abandoned owing to lack of funding or a redirection of political agendas, but which nonetheless contributed significant test results later applied to other programs.In addition, Baker gives the technical specifications for every major rocket, satellite and interplanetary probe ever launched, including the length, fuel capacity, rate of ascent, orbital pattern and the length of time that it was operational or remained in orbit. Read Less