Jet Engines

From warfare and space exploration to commercial travel, jet technology opened up a myriad of possibilities for humanity. While many ancient examples of basic rocket technology exist, practical and world-changing rockets were not developed unit the 20th Century. Work on the first practical jet engine suitable for aviation began in Britain in the late 1920s, and continued a few years later in Germany. As early as 1939, just a few days before the beginning of WWII, a German-built jet airplane was the first to take flight, though mass production was still years away. This was achieved with the Messerschmitt Me 262, which started production in mid-1944. Though this plane was vastly superior to anything other countries were producing, it was manufactured in very small numbers, used too much sophisticated fuel, and was introduced too late to make a difference for the German military.

Similarly, the rocket, which is also a type of jet engine, was not developed in its modern, useful form until the 20th century. While research on rockets happened in many countries, it was not until American Robert Godard launched the first modern rocket in 1926 that rocketry became a practical reality. Just as with jet airplane engines, German experimenters made amazing leaps forward in the following years, spurred on first by armature enthusiasts and then by wartime research spending.

Eventually, a gifted engineer by the name of Wernher von Braun developed the V-2 which was world’s first guided, long-rage rocket. While far superior to any other rocket at the time, just like the Me 262, it was developed too late to make any significant difference for the Nazi war effort. More significant was Von Braun’s surrender to the United States at the end of WWII. Von Braun and other German scientists were sent to the United States to begin work on an American space program as a response to a quickly-escalating Cold War and “space race” with the Soviet Union, which culminated in 1969 with the moon landing.

Though the bloodiest war in world history played a major role in the development of jet technology, today just about everyone can afford to travel great distances quickly and safely, revolutionizing society in many ways. Likewise, rocket technology allowed people to enter outer space, and may one day make human colonization of space possible.